Blind Chess
by madradena
Summary: Both Data and Emma have to face their lives prior to 'Tidal Wave', in a mission that brings on board Data's mother and an old Admiral. The mission is to establish relations to an isolated colony, Emma used to live on - and is led by her husband. Meanwhile, Data has to fight for his right to have emotions, never being sure, where his old friend/foe, Dr. Maddox stands in that fight.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: None of TNG or any of its characters are mine, and I do not make money on writing this story.

Very happy to be here and give you the sequel I have promised for ' _You can't fight a tidal wave_ '. As one of my regular reviewers pointed it out, this one is NOT gonna be based on a dream, it's gonna be about reality. Hence the M rating instead of the T. Wherever the plot turns into M, I'll give you a clear indication, so those of you, who don't like M-stuff, you can skip the given chapter and go on reading T-stuff.

As usual I'd like to point out that I'm not a native speaker of English. Sorry that the vocab is not as sophisticated as a native speaker would write, I try my best. Please review, it's great to get feedback! (But please be gentle in your criticism, I'm a very sensitive person.)

Set after _StarTrek - First Contact_ , and ' _You can't fight a tidal wave_ '. If you haven't read Tidal wave, there will be stuff you might not really understand (e.g. who Emma is and where she's from - you'll learn soon enough :D ), but overall, I'd say the plot itself should stand on its own feet.

* * *

Data watched with an excited smile on his face as his mother materialized in the transporter. The tiny sparkling particles finally reintegrated into a solid form, and his mother smiled back at him with the same excitement.

"Data!" she beamed with joy.

"Mother!" he opened his arms and stepping down to him, she hugged him tightly. "Welcome aboard, Mother!" Data greeted her a little timidly giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you!" she told him pulling away a little "Let me see you! Oh, you haven't changed one bit!" she took his face into her palms tenderly.

Data raised his eyebrows in mild surprise then tried to clarify her misconception: "As you might know too, Mother, my appearance does not change with the passage of time at the rate a human's appearance would. Therefore it would be peculiar, had I changed visibly in the 323 days that passed by since our last encounter." he explained with a serious expression.

Juliana chuckled "Well, I can see that it's not only your appearance that does not change with the passage of time! You still take everything literally! Oh, god, I'm so happy to see you!" she told him lovingly and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Data took a short moment to consider her words and just gave her a serene smile as a reply. She then stepped out of his arms and he picked her luggage up still on the transporter pad.

"I'll show you to your quarters." he told her motioning her out of the transporter room. Walking on the corridor he felt a little embarrassed so he decided to stick with polite small talk for the time being "Was you journey tiring?"

"Oh, a little, but don't worry about it. I may be an old lady, but I can manage with a few days of travelling at warp speed." Juliana waved his concern away.

"You're not old at all, Mother!" he protested surprised at her remark "The average lifespan of a human is well beyond 120 and you're only 70! Even taking the most objective perspective into consideration, you're only a little more than middle-aged." he explained with an encouraging smile.

Juliana studied him for a moment longer with a surprised squint of her eye then smiled delighted "Maybe I was wrong before. You did change, Data."

He stopped and cocked his head curiously "I did?"

"Yes. The way you talk. You use verbal contractions."

"Oh, that!" he nodded and as they started to walk again, he explained "Emma encouraged me to experiment with the less formal intricacies of the language. I have always been worried that whatever I want to say would not be clear enough for the listener - as Captain Picard once told me, I tend to babble. So I supposed speaking as formally as it is possible would facilitate better understanding on behalf of my peers. However, I came to see that this is not always the case. This was the reason behind me starting to use contractions, though I was fairly reluctant about it at first. Therefore I asked Emma to call my attention to the fact, if what I'm saying is not comprehensible. I might add, such a thing hasn't occurred yet."

"Well, that's very helpful of Emma." she nodded with a knowing smile.

"Yes." Data nodded too and went on raising his forefinger "She also told me that she can determine my mood from the way I speak."

"Oh, can she?"

"Yes. She says, if I'm feeling cheerful, I use more contractions. If I'm ...wound up - as she puts it - I speak more formally." he shook his head in amazement "It's really astonishing the things she is able to notice about me."

Juliana just gave him a really gratified smile. Then Data stopped again with a worried expression on his face "Am I talking too much about her? If so, please tell me! For instance, Geordi was very reluctant to call my attention to it, and he was really annoyed by the time he actually did."

She stroked his shoulder and arm lovingly "Data. I'm your mother. I'm happy for your happiness! When you spoke about her the first time in your subspace messages, I couldn't wait to meet her! Now finally I'll have the chance. Though you told me about her so many things already that I feel as if I've known her for a long time."

Data frowned thoughtfully as he replayed his last few messages in his head in less then 0.52 seconds... "Oh, so I did speak too much about her." he mumbled realizing it only now.

She patted his arm again "Just don't worry about it. I'm glad I can get to know the woman whom my son adores so much."

Data's lips curled up into a tiny smile and they stepped into the turbolift.

"Deck 15." he called then looked down at his mother again "Please tell me about yourself, Mother! How are you? Are you now fully settled in on Earth?"

"Yes, of course. It's over a year now since Pran died and almost a year since I moved back home. It was difficult at first, but being at the place where I was born helped eventually. And of course work also diverted my attention. Fortunately for a geologist, Sicily is a tectonically active area so I have quite a lot of work to do. That is of course besides the occasional missions I go on for Starfleet."

"Do you know much about your assignment here?"

"No, actually. I was offered to come aboard the Enterprise, and I grabbed at the opportunity to be with my son!" she replied taking him by the hand with such a loving expression that Data thought, if he had the ability, he would surely have blushed. She went on after a moment, looking up at him with a serious frown "As a matter of fact, if I wanted to know more about the assignment it wouldn't have been possible. Most of the details are classified. Or so I was told."

"Yes, that is correct." he nodded "Even our destination is known only by the senior staff. However I know not much more than that either."

"I see. Well," she shrugged turning her palms up "wherever we may go, if you need a geologist on board, now you have one."

"We certainly do." he told her with a proud smile as the lift stopped and they stepped out. After a few moments, they reached her quarters and he helped her settle in. When they were finished, he stood in the middle of the room, ready to leave "I leave you to have a rest. The official briefing is tomorrow at 0800 hours in the morning."

She once again took his hand "Are you coming over for dinner? I-I mean of course together with Emma." she quickly added.

Data gazed away a little unsure "Well, I'm afraid she has some personal meeting to attend to in the evening - I believe it's about organizing a special social gathering called a bachelorette party for a friend? - but as far as I know, the meeting would end at around 2100. If that's not too late for you, we could join you for supper afterwards."

"Perfect! I have jetlag anyway, I would not be able to go to sleep early."

"Very well, then! We'll come over at around 2100. See you later, Mother."

"See you later, Data." she equalled as he stepped to the door. Then he stopped in the doorway seemingly getting an idea, and he walked back to her. She looked at him with a slight puzzlement, then he wordlessly took her gently by the shoulders, bowed down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm very glad you are here, Mother." he told her pulling away on such a soft voice that Juliana felt a catch in her throat.

She smiled back joyfully "Me too." she whispered moved, then he turned with a smile on his face and left her alone.


	2. Chapter 2

"So what I was thinking about is that as Sonya loves cooking so much, we could arrange a mini-cookery-course for her and we could be the judges. If we like what she cooked, we can let her go into the life of a house wife. Maybe we can make some nice certificate with flowers on it that she passed!" Rika explained with an unworldly smile on her face to the five other women around the table at Ten Forward.

Emma sat at the preparation-meeting for Sonya's bachelorette party which would be thrown by Sonya's friends for the girl, and her eyes turned into two saucers hearing this idea. She was quite surprised that she was invited at all, but her initial delight turned into complete shock after listening to this one sentence coming from Rika (Sonya's best friend). It was quite plain that they had VERY different ideas for what a bachelorette party should be like. Em looked at Beverly but couldn't read her expression: the good doctor just sat there with that usual small smile of hers - which could indicate either kindness or the fact that she was ready to kill somebody. The other three girls smiled cheerfully at Rika hearing the idea and an involuntary thought rushed through Emma's blown away mind: What am I doing here?!

Anyways, it had to be asked. And so it had to be her who would throw the shit into the fan. AGAIN... "So. Does that mean that I have to cancel the chip-n-dale guy too?" she asked matter-of-factly.

Her reward was an utterly shocked expression from the four friends and one chuckle stifled into a (very bad) fake-couch from Bev. Emma's smile turned into an awkward grimace - not that she felt awkward at all.

"Eh..." Rika gave her a polite but very uncomfortable smile "I suppose it would be quite difficult to get a strip guy out here. So..."

"We have the holodeck." Emma told them turning up her palms. "Broccoli wouldn't even have to be jealous!"

"Well..." Rika cleared her throat "I suppose we should discuss this later on. When we know the rest of the details."

"Sure! You're right!" Emma nodded "We should rather discuss the cake!" she told them snapping her fingers grinning. She really loved sweets.

"Oh, yeah!" the other girls nodded delighted and seemingly very relieved to move away from that one embarrassing topic.

"So do you know what kind of cakes does Sonya like?" Beverly asked "What flavours?"

"Oh, she likes chocolate very much!" one of the girls popped in.

"But her favourite is coconut!" Rika told them "She really likes it in for example Pina Colada!"

"So maybe coconut. There's a good idea!" they all agreed.

"All the more so, because it would be quite bizarre to make it a chocolate cake." Emma mumbled almost to herself.

Of course again, all eyes were on her. Rika was the one who finally asked reluctantly: "Why should it be bizarre?"

Emma shrugged puzzled at the question "Of course it would be! Think about it, a willy-shaped cake and it's brown on the insides? Come on, white stuff coming out of it will look a loooot more natural! So. Coco should it be!" she explained with a grin.

One girl choked on her syntehol - unlucky her, she just drank her last sip, when Emma uttered the word 'willy' - then a stunned silence descended and four pairs of wide eyes in four white, exasperated faces were the reward for her explanation.

Beverly had her hand almost all over her face, and Emma looked at her frowning after a long moment of shocked silence "Is it just me, or we're actually NOT talking about a bachelorette party?" she asked on a low voice.

Bev took her hand away "Tyeah, Em, could you come to the counter with me to bring some drinks?"

"Do you want to take the jobs of the waiters?" Em asked back without missing a beat, raising her eyebrows challengingly. Bev gave her the usual - deadly - smile, and Emma seeing it, backed off and pushed her chair out from under her to stand up "Okay..."

At the counter, Bev ordered another round of syntehol, and while they were waiting for it, she looked at Emma "Don't tell me you're not doing this on purpose."

"I'm not!" Emma told her with mock-indignation then rolled her eyes "Alright, I am. Come on, Bev, ease up on me a little, alright? They're all nuns, for god's sake! We could so steal this show!" she laughed.

But Bev remained serious "They're Sonya's best friends. And she was quite nice that she wanted us to be at her bachelorette party."

"Yeah! So we have an obligation to make it a bachelorette party and not the Boston tea-party these spinsters trying to throw."

"Em! Sonya is a timid, shy girl. You know that. She was raised in a religious family."

"So what? Girls from religious families take willies in their hands with napkins?" Emma asked still not really seeing where they were going. Bev just rolled her eyes, and she went on "Bev! Come on! That girl is gonna be joined in the holy matrimony with freaking Broccoli - a vegetable! What fun is she gonna have, I mean ever in her entire life? She should have a real party on her last night out! Not a cookery course! Come on! Even if it takes to get her out of her comfort zone, we should make this fun!"

Beverly frowned crossing her arms in front of her chest "Start calling Lieutenant Barclay on his proper name already."

"Slip of the tongue, Bev. Happens to you too..."

"And try to step out of YOUR comfort zone for a change. We're doing this for Sonya. It has to be done in a way, she can like it. If she's all embarrassed at her own bachelorette party, it will be no fun for her with or without a strip guy."

Emma grimaced sulking and crossed her arms mirroring Beverly's posture. After a minute of stubborn staring into each other's eyes, finally, Emma was the one who gave in "Okay, okay. You're right, Mother Hen. As always. I hope you're all happy to hear it!"

"As a matter of fact, I'm rather relieved that you gave in so easily." Beverly admitted. A tray with all the glasses arrived, and Bev took it and motioned Emma back to the other girls.

When they got back, Bev put the tray down and as they sat down with Emma, Rika smiled kindly "Oh, this reminds me! We should also decide on what kind of syntehol we will drink!"

This was the last straw for Emma "What?! You're not being serious! A bachelorette party without a strip guy, without a willy-cake and without real alcohol?! Have you guys ever been to a party apart from tea-parties for five year-olds?"

Bev cleared her throat and looked daggers at her. Em threw her hands up: "Shut up, Emma! Okay, that's what Emma's gonna do." And she spent the rest of the meeting in sulking silence.

* * *

Walking on the corridors with Bev after the meeting, she sighed and clasped her fingers "Well. Suppose I'm voted out from the party-preparations-committee. Was nice as long as it lasted."

"I honestly don't think that." Beverly told her comfortingly.

"Wha- you weren't there?!" Em asked her "They were blinking like a plowed out mole!"

"You see, I suppose just as you do, they also need to step out of their comfort zones for a change. The end-result might be a very unique and nice party. Believe me." Beverly smiled optimistically.

Emma shrugged "No matter how hard you try to convince me, that's not gonna be a real bachelorette party without any willies..." she grimaced still sulking like a teenage girl.

Beverly frowned at her with a suspicious smile "What's this huge need for willies, dear? You sound as if you haven't had a boyfriend for almost two months now."

Emma suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. After a moment, she shrugged "Well, maybe that's exactly the problem."

Bev gaped wide-eyed, and they stopped walking "You mean that Data..."

"I mean that we haven't done it yet." Emma cut in looking into her eyes almost shyly - very unlike her. "We... we keep fooling around but... we haven't... we haven't. And you know... it's sorta frustrating. Maybe that's what's showing, yeah..." she bowed her head and pushed her fingers through her long hair self-consciously.

After the stunned moment of silence passed, Bev finally asked "But why? Is he the one who doesn't want it or...?"

"It's me." Emma admitted looking straight into Beverly's eyes. Bev couldn't believe her ears, just stood there gaping. Emma gave her a very uncomfortable smile "Don't look so freaking shocked, Bev. I was married to a man for ten years - hell, I'm still married to him. Believe me, I'm really attracted to Data, and I mean really, really very much... but it's just... it's too early, or I don't know, I'm just... so unsure." she confessed finally.

"Have you ever spoken to him about this?"

"No! No way. What should I tell him, for god's sake, Bev?"

"Em, you're practically living together for the last two months. I suppose it's just as difficult for him as it is for you that you just fool around and that's that - as you say. He should deserve some explanation. Or at least some reassurance. Sooner or later he'll make up some reason why you're not moving forward, and I wouldn't wait for that to happen, if I were you. You know how single-minded he can be, if he gets some idea into his head."

"Yeah, I know, I know... you're right. I'll... I'll try to ...tell him something."

They walked up to Beverly's quarters finally "Are you coming in for a drink?" she asked smiling invitingly.

"Ah, tempting, but I can't."

"Studying for the exam? It's good that we could have Starfleet Medical to postpone it another month. Gave you some leeway."

"Yeah, it's not that now. Data's mom is coming on-board, and we agreed to have dinner with her... I mean he did, actually. I was just told the fact later on..." Emma added grimacing really hating the whole idea.

Beverly gaped and smiled wildly "Wow! Meeting his mom? This IS getting serious! Em, it's a huge thing!"

"Yeah, at first I actually told him, it's a bad idea."

"Why?!"

"Why, Bev. Seriously. All the moms hate me! She won't be any exception!" she then shrugged with a small smile "It's just that he was so sweet trying to convince me, that it'll be okay, that I had to accept."

Beverly gave her an encouraging smile "Just try to cut back on the willy-topic a little, and all's gonna be A-okay!"

* * *

 **A/N: Believe it or not, but the bachelorette party meeting is a real-life experience... and let's just say that it's VERY lucky that I'm not Emma (okay, some 30% of her sarcasm I do share, I admit) :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Some M stuff here - skip ahead if you like :)**

* * *

Emma got to Data's quarters pretty late and deep in thought. She pressed the door chime absently and frowned irritated when she instinctively tried to walk through the door staying stubbornly shut instead of sliding open and she simultaneously heard Data's comvoice coming through.

"Who's there?"

She rolled her eyes annoyed "Who?! The devil with a trident! Time to get scared, Deadpan, if you don't let me in."

"Sorry, I'm in the middle of changing. Come in, please!"

The door slid open, and she stepped in still annoyed "This bachelorette party meeting took so long that we'll be late from your mom!" she started to unfasten her uniform top, but the fastenings seemed to get stuck "Oh, shit, just what I need..."

"We won't be late, don't worry." she heard Data's voice coming from the sleeping area "I already did all the steps necessary prior to such an occasion: I brought some flowers from the arboretum and replicated a bottle of wine to bring over, I'm almost done changing into casual clothes, and I've already fed Spot so she would sleep the time we are not home through. The only thing left is you changing and we can make a move!" he explained meticulously "Maybe we'll be late a few minutes, but it's really not a tragedy!" he added on a soothing voice as he checked his internal chronometer and found that it was 2057.

But it was as if Emma didn't even hear him, she just went on with freaking herself out "It's the worst start ever to be late! She'll hate me from the first minute-" she trailed off as she stepped into the sleeping area and found Data there really in the middle of changing.

He was almost dressed, only his white shirt was open which he was starting to button from the bottom up and he seemed quite wrapped up in what he was doing. "You really need not to worry so much! I told you she's a nice person. She is not easy to irritate." he told her absently not even looking up. When she didn't answer, he glanced up at her quickly, then seeing her dumbstruck expression he looked at her puzzled.

She stared at him spell-bound looking at the pale skin of his chest and stomach visible underneath his open shirt. He was so beautiful! So perfect! She drank in all his curves and plains with her gaze, his unblemished skin, the muscles of his flat stomach, the lines of his ribs and collarbone - he was so skinny! and so unbelievably attractive... Emma swallowed as their eyes met. He stood there so confused, probably had no idea how enticing his looks were.

"Sorry if I... embarrassed you!" he told her on a low voice and pulled his shirt together shyly.

"Oh-eh...mmm..." when it dawned on her that no coherent word would leave her lips in the near future, she decided to stick with non-verbal communication and just shook her head. The shit are you doing, idiot?! she screamed to herself. Why don't you just take a fork and a knife and start to devour this timid guy literally as if he was a piece of meat that you're making him feel like?! Get your shit together already!

She shook her head again "We'll be late..." she muttered and bolted to the bathroom. He gazed after her still puzzled. She was so absent-minded that she didn't even close the door behind herself, just put her palms on the small cupboard containing the basin and shut her eyes tightly to get a grip. Whenever she saw or felt just a glimpse of his perfectness, the feeling of sheer inadequateness followed the overpowering desire. Her body was so far away from being perfect as the Enterprise was from Earth. She felt she somehow violated him by staring at his body knowing full well, that her own body could never cause such amazement in return.

She raised her swaying head and vaguely tried to open her uniform's fastening again but still overwhelmed by his sight, her hands felt weak. "Are you alright?" she heard his voice and snapping her head sideways, took a sharp breath in scared. She exhaled it seeing him as he stood in the doorway. He stepped in reluctantly "I didn't mean to scare you."

She shook her head swallowing hard and managed to give him a faint smile "No-no, it's just..." her hands came up to the neck of her uniform top again "I think this damn thing got stuck..." she couldn't think of anything else to say.

He smiled and cocked his head sideways "May I help?"

She nodded wordlessly - it seemed the ability to verbally express herself was left outside in the corridor. He stepped in, then surprising her, turned her to the mirror and standing behind her circled her with his arms.

"Let me see..." he whispered and wiped her hair from her neck and shoulder so he could look at the fastening of her uniform top from above. She felt his warm body pressing tightly to hers from behind and his breath in her ear sent a hot fire coursing down to her abdomen. She bit her lower lip and tried very hard to concentrate on what his hands were doing. But his palms were brushing the top of her breasts as her chest heaved underneath his hands, and she needed to forcefully stop herself from whimpering at the gentle, inadvertent caress.

When the damn fastenings finally gave way, a moment of relief washed through her, hoping that the exquisite torture would finally end. But it seemed he had other plans, because he slowly pushed her uniform top open, by sliding his hand down between the two sides - between her two breasts and over her stomach. She vaguely thought that perhaps he had no idea what he was doing to her - but then he put his lips to the nape of her neck and kissed her there lightly. Oh, yes, he knew exactly what he was doing! When the uniform top opened, he pressed his palms to her abdomen and started to slid his hands upward while he followed the curve of her neck with his lips.

His hands gently cupped her small breasts through her thin under-shirt, thumbs brushing the sensitive nipples, while he kissed and licked her earlobe - knowing all too well how crazy that could drive her! She let out a soft moan as she couldn't stand his ministrations any longer and grabbing his hands pushed her breasts into his palms. This time, they moaned in union at the feeling.

"Ah, god..." she whimpered and turning her head to the side, she claimed his mouth with hers. He held her close from behind and pushed his tongue into her mouth hungrily. When she responded eagerly, he let her go for a moment, just to turn her around and crush her into a tight embrace. He kissed her deeply again, and as he felt her pushing his shirt off his shoulders, he slid his hands to her butt and grabbed her firmly. She slid her hand down his bare back feeling his tight muscles and his blade-bone then slid it up again to his neck then into his hair pulling his head down to her almost as if her life depended on that singular kiss.

In a sudden movement, he picked her up and sat her on the low cupboard. She looked down at him breathing heavily: his shirt was off his shoulders halfway down his arms, his hair was dishevelled and his lips glistened from their kisses - and his eyes reflected pure love and hunger. Her throat closed as she understood how much he wanted her, but he didn't give her too much time to contemplate this, as he pulled her in for another kiss. When she put her arms around him, she knew he'd discarded his shirt, because as her hands roamed his upper body she felt that he was naked from the waistline up. He pushed her uniform top off her shoulders, making her let go of him for a moment, then breaking away from her, let her take it off. She wanted to reclaim his mouth but it seemed he didn't have enough of undressing her. Smiling, he bent down, and kissing her knee, pulled her boots off, first one, then the other - and the next moment, his hands were at the waistline of her trousers pulling out her under-shirt. She had no time to protest, he simply pulled it upward and she, obediently raising her arms, let him take it off of her.

As usual, she wore nothing underneath, and he gazed at her nude breasts almost in a trance. She again found herself wondering how he could find any attraction for her body, for her breasts. They were not so round and firm as they used to be ten years ago, they grew heavier with the years, and her nipples became a little less delicate. Time was not easy on any other parts of her body either. The skin on her stomach became a little wrinkled and underneath there was a little excessive fat - she had kept joking she might end up doing the same diet Spot needed a month ago, whenever the topic came up. And he was always such a gentleman, always found something he could complement her on to divert her attention. But this was all wrong! He should have been with somebody who was more adequate to him! Who was young and beautiful! Just like he was...

He looked into her eyes with wonder on his features and it made her snap out of her sad reverie. She couldn't help but return his smile and combed through his hair with her fingers tenderly. Shutting his eyes for a brief moment, he turned toward her gentle touch, then opened his eyes and closing the distance, kissed her on the lips once again. After a short moment though, he took his mouth away and once again looked down at her nude breasts. He tentatively cupped one into his palm and sliding his thumb over her nipple felt it tighten instinctively. He needed to feel what that was like if he caressed her with his mouth! So he bent to her other breast and took her nipple between his lips.

She sucked in a breath and her hand instinctively came up to tangle into his hair to hold him to her. He slid his tongue over her nipple then feeling it respond to his touch, he gently scraped it with his lower teeth - it instantly tightened and he heard her moan. With a short kiss, he took his mouth away slowly and stared up into her eyes once again. She combed through his mussed up hair tenderly. A moment later he claimed her mouth pulling her close and clasping her legs around his waist.

The next thing she knew was that they were kissing in his bed feverishly. It was no simple fooling around anymore. It was not innocent, light patting before falling asleep. It was not gentle exploring each other's bodies through their clothes. It was hot, hard, furious passion, and she knew, she felt he wanted this desperately after over a long month of teasing each other to nuts. I want to give it to you! Take me, baby! her mind screamed as she sank her nails into the skin of his back and pulled him close almost tearing at his flesh! And he responded with a grunt of pleasure, gently biting her tongue with his teeth and then grinding his hips to hers.

Oh, I want you so much! she felt she could cry from the craving! But suddenly she heard another voice in her head asking her the one question, she kept asking herself whenever she thought about giving in to their passion. And then? Maybe they would have some amazing nights. Maybe even years. But the reality would remain reality. She was growing old. He was not. He was perfect, she was anything but perfect. She was convinced he would some day find somebody and just as her luck usually went, when she would finally let herself believe that this all was true, he would simply walk away with another girl. Someone who was younger and more beautiful. Someone he really deserved even right now, when he was wasting his time on her.

And her body tensed up! Oh, I'm crazy! I must be! But I just can't! I can't! She suddenly broke away "I can't..." she breathed. He stared at her with utter disbelief in his eyes. She tried to ignore his expression and pushed him off of herself. He obeyed and rolled to his side letting her sit up. But she couldn't get up from the bed, her legs were so weak, so she just sat there on the edge feeling his confused gaze on herself.

She cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand "We'll be late..." she told him silently.

After a long moment, he pushed himself up to a sitting position pulling his legs under him and took some deep breaths to calm his desires still running wild. When he felt, he had at least one processing thread that was free to think clearly, he crawled a little closer to where she sat slouching, rigid on the edge. But he didn't dare to touch her.

"Emma. I believe we made a promise to one another. At the very beginning. We promised we'd be honest with each other. Please do not lie to me." he asked on a silent voice.

She turned her face away impatiently "It's not a lie that we'll be late. It's a fact. Moreover, we already are late. So..." she started to get up, but he didn't let her: without thinking, he took her by the arm and pulled her down on the bed once more - he just couldn't let her run away like that!

But she stared at him suddenly hostilely - almost scared "I think I've told you, I don't appreciate you showing off your inhuman strength on me." she growled warningly.

He let her go shocked and bowed his head "Forgive me." he whispered guiltily, and she shut her eyes feeling remorse washing over her. Oh, it's not you, who should feel so horrible! It's not you! Her hands came up into fists. Bev was right. She needed to at least try to explain this to him... She raised her head, but before she could speak, he gazed into her eyes wistfully "Is that it?" her only response was a confused furrow of her brows "Is that why you do not wish to consummate our relationship? Because you are scared of me? Because I'm not human." he asked, and she could see that he tried hard to conceal the pain behind that one devastating question.

She opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out, she just shook her head stunned. Bev was right! He did get an idea into his head - but this?!

Data went on silently "I know you are attracted. At times, just as now, you let yourself be carried away by that attraction. However... I presume there's always something that reminds you, how far I am from humanity. And how far I'll always be. And at those times... you grow scared or... or disgusted. I am unsure which one..."

Her hands came up into tight fists as she listened in complete shock. She wished nothing but crushing him into a tight embrace and kissing him wherever she could reach to reassure him. But she just couldn't move. She felt petrified, only her hands clutched the blanket so tightly that her knuckles became white.

He saw her hands and gently brushed the tips of his long fingers over it "It is alright, Emma." he whispered on a broken voice "If you wish to end our relationship, I will not blame you. Please don't torture yourself. You gave me so much, I'm so grateful to you..."

And whatever else he was about to say was swallowed in her kiss. His eyes closed in pleasure, he felt her grip his shoulder and neck so tightly that was he a human, his blood would be staining the bedclothes now.

She then suddenly let go and took his face into her palms almost violently "Shut up!" she forced it out between her teeth "How can you... say such a thing?!" she pulled him close with a tearless sob, and held him as tightly as she could breathing heavily "Oh, shut up, you crazy ...you sweet... you precious..." she shook her head helplessly "How can you? How can you think that?!" she asked barely able to believe that he uttered the last few sentences.

"It has crossed my mind many times in fact." he gently pushed her back to look into her eyes and seeing her disbelieving expression, he went on "I'm not a human. I'm just a look-alike. Some would even say... only a mockery. ...I do know that you care about me, but you may still have your reservations. I am... only a machine after all."

She shut her eyes bowing her head slouching "And I thought my inhibitions are painful." she whispered on a shaken voice. She then looked up at him feeling her mind clear a little and then cuddled up to him, making him take her into his arms. He complied though a bit confused, but held her close lovingly. She took a deep breath feeling the tight grip in her chest lessen even for a little bit with his touch "Data..." she whispered "You are the single most beautiful creature I've ever encountered in my whole life. You must never think that you are less than a human. Never!" she gave his body a gentle squeeze.

"I know I am not less." he replied almost matter-of-factly "I am superior to humans in several things. Still this does not change the fact that I'm a machine."

She needed a moment to try to take the courage to make the confession she needed to make - now even owed him to make! Then she pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"You're right about our agreement. We agreed on being honest with each other. No matter how difficult it is. So here's the thing..." she swallowed hard fighting her embarrassment "I'm attracted to you. Sometimes so much so that I feel tortured, helpless. The pleasure your touch can make me feel sometimes borders on pain. And I..." she shook her head frustrated "I can't think about anything but what would happen afterwards! What would happen if I let myself completely trust you? What would happen if you by accident suddenly happen to realize how wonderful you are? And what would happen if then, you met another woman? Somebody who is young and beautiful and as wonderful as you are - and is not full of self-doubt and sarcasm and whose body isn't anything but perfect. I'm 43. And I'm not gonna get any younger. And I keep thinking that... one day, you'll open your eyes, look around and will see... the chasm between the two of us..." she bowed her head, cheeks burning, feeling completely humiliated by her confession.

After a moment, she felt the tips of his fingers under her chin. He gently turned her face upward, just as she usually did to him. He gazed at her with a tentative smile of wonder "Emma. You are perfect in your humanity! The imperfections of your body makes you so adorably human!" he slid his hand down her neck over her collarbone, and her breath was caught. He stopped at her shoulder where she had a small birthmark, and then bowed his head to it and kissed it tenderly. Then looked into her eyes now reflecting amazement once again "These are the things that make you the person you are. Even your self-doubt and sarcasm. All your mistakes. All the imperfections of your body. You are not the statue of beauty, but a beautiful human! I want you for what you are! A human!" he took her hand and kissed it gently then squeezing it he went on "You told me once, you do not wish to know the future. Why are you doubting that future now?"

She shook her head at her own stupidity of the past "Because at the time I told you that crap, I had no idea what you would mean to me now. As time goes by, it's more and more difficult to feel negligent about the thought of letting you go, if life required it."

He smiled again in wonder "But is it not wonderful? Is it not how we are supposed to feel? Is it not how two people bond with each other? I find the prospect of letting you go as difficult as you might. And it's the most fascinating emotion I've ever had! However Emma, I find it even more difficult to see you unhappy." he stroked her long hair tenderly "I will wait for you as long as you need me to wait." he whispered "As I have promised you. But please don't torture yourself the way you've been doing. Please let me help! Any way I can!" he cupped her face in his palm and stroked her cheek with his thumb. She wordlessly took his hand and kissed his fingers one by one gratefully.

Then staring into his honest gaze, she started crooning silently:

 _"Perhaps I had a wicked childhood_  
 _Perhaps I had a miserable youth_  
 _But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past_  
 _There must have been a moment of truth"_

She smiled tenderly at him and smiling back he asked: "What is this?"

"A woman trying to figure out why she deserved the happiness she got from life." she smiled shyly "I feel that way now. No matter how naughty all my life I've been, there must've been something that made the universe think I deserve meeting you... and having you here and now."

He smiled timidly but then looked at her raising his eyebrows "I know a certain someone, who would now tell you, that if you don't stop, we'll die of diabetes, this is so corny and sweet!"

She shook her head laughing softly "You are getting exceedingly good at teasing, Deadpan! I'll need to pay more attention! This was fairly a low ball for you to catch!" they chuckled. She cuddled to him, stroking his cheek with one hand and bringing his lips to hers, she gave him two quick kisses "Let's go to your mom." she whispered "And we can go on with this trail of thought afterwards."

He pulled her in for another kiss, then "Or any other previous ones for that matter."

* * *

 **A/N: Italics are from _Sound of Music_ \- This is NOT gonna be a song-fic again, I promise, it just gave itself really :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Juliana greeted them with a welcoming smile, but her warm friendliness was not enough to alleviate Emma's anxiety about the whole occasion. She kept thinking about how she was going to explain the fact that she was still married, or why she left her husband, or what if some well-known fact would come up about Data which she had no idea about - they'd been going out only for a little less than two months, still it would be embarrassing if it turned out that they didn't know each other that well...

Data in the mean time was running around them almost literally: had them sit down in the living room, brought them drinks, put the flowers he had given his mother into water and told them about how a dinner was supposed to be conducted according to an author from the late 19th century.

"It was also said that before the dinner itself the guests and the host are supposed to share a drink together. It is a form of toast, and it has a very important role in getting to know each other." he explained as he sat on the couch next to Emma, while Juliana was sitting in an armchair to their side.

"You don't have to do everything according to the book, Data." Juliana told him kindly.

He blinked surprised and took Emma's hand into his: "Oh, Emma often tells me, I have a wish to be perfect in everything." She just smiled up at him timidly.

"Sometimes a little bit of spontaneity can flavour the moment, believe me!" Juliana smiled.

His expression turned gloomy "I'm not sure that my programming would contain an ability to be spontaneous, Mother. At least not to a positive effect. The last time I made an attempt at it, Doctor Crusher ended up in the holodeck ocean, and she was very upset."

The two ladies laughed softly "Yes, she told me..." Emma mumbled on a very silent voice covering her mouth. It was an amusing story, and she felt her spirits lifting at least a little bit by recalling Bev's irritated expression as she recounted the memory for her.

Juliana looked from her back to Data amused "Believe me, with a father like yours, the ability has to be there! It's just you have to start small, that's all! Like now, I didn't mean anything as big as taking a swim on the holodeck right now, but for example, we could start eating without any of these formalities, because I'm starved to death."

Emma smiled and was actually quite grateful for the elder woman, not only for saving her from the toast, but also because she could have eaten a whale, she was so hungry.

Data looked at Juliana wide-eyed "Oh, why didn't you say so, Mother?" he stood up "Just take a seat at the table, and I bring everything!" he then went to the replicator while the two women stood up too.

"Is he always so attentive?" Juliana asked on a low voice.

Emma looked over to Data at the replicator and smiled "Yes, yes, he is." she told her timidly then hugging herself raised her glass to her face and apparently studied the intricate patterns on it intently.

Juliana stood there for a few moments, silent. She waited until Emma finally looked from her glass in her hand up at her again, and then smiling, she raised her glass "To the hope that all of us will survive this evening. Even including you!" Emma looked at her puzzled, and Juliana, putting a soothing hand on her arm, chuckled "You look as if this dinner was served in the torture chamber of hell, and you were supposed to enjoy yourself with the closest friend of devil!"

Emma blinked surprised and even grew a little pale "I-I'm sorry, Ms. Tainer. I didn't mean to offend you!" But she was trying so hard to look like a normal person! Whatever did she screw up this time?!

"Oh, you didn't, don't be so frightened! And call me Juliana already! You know, I've had two husbands, I know what it is like to be introduced to a mother-in-law-candidate!" she stroked her arm, and Emma tried to equal her earnest smile "Believe me, sweetheart, I have faced much worse than myself!"

Emma chuckled finally "I can imagine, it's just... I know how important this is for Data. I'd like to make a good impression - believe me if I start to talk, that will not happen..." she blurted and then almost uttered a profanity at her instinctual bluntness. She just couldn't be let anywhere near people!

But Juliana laughed out loud "Just be yourself, my dear!" she put an arm around Emma's shoulder who tensed up a little at the touch but then forced herself to relax "Data wanted me to get to know YOU, and not some dream of mothers timid girl. He told me so much about you, it made me really intrigued, so don't hold yourself back."

Emma gave her a wry smile "I suppose I'm better off as long as I don't know what he told you about me..." and all of us, as long as I try to pretend to be a civilized human being...

* * *

After finishing their food, Data was telling a story about an experiment they were conducting with Geordi at Engineering - in a very detailed and overly Data-ish way - and Juliana watched both him and Emma. The younger woman was seemingly listening to him intently, having only eyes for him, however Juliana knew that look well.

She wore the same expression when Noonian used to tell her stories about his cybernetics experiments. It didn't really matter what he was speaking about. It only mattered that he did, his voice was like a spell, his intellect was one of his greatest sex-appeals, and she also had to admit that it was a pleasure in itself to just simply watch him, to just look into his huge grey-blue eyes or just gaze at his lips as they were moving.

It seemed Data had a similar effect on this lady, and Juliana felt nostalgic watching them. She never loved anyone the same way she had Noonian. That beautiful feeling never returned - not even for Pran. At first, she felt guilty about it, but after the first few years of their marriage, she accepted the fact that love could come in several different ways, and she did actually love Pran deeply, only in a different form.

But she was never prepared to be reminded of a love so deep and so long gone tonight. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she embarrassedly cleared her throat and turned her gaze away.

Data trailed off in his story and gaped at her worried "Mother! Are you feeling alright?" he never thought a story about warp-coil experiments could bring anybody to tears! "I did not mean to upset you!" he said on a thin voice.

Juliana smiled and blinked away her tears "No, no, don't worry, Data! You didn't upset me!" she put her hand on his "It's just that for a moment, you reminded me of your father." she then looked over at Emma who just sat there with a worried look "And you reminded me of myself so deeply in love with him."

There was a moment of stunned silence after which Data opened his mouth to clarify the situation. Emma was still very adamant about the fact that they only shared a crush, and it was not yet love that bound them together. He knew that she could get really tensed up if this topic was brought up especially if somebody else was around too, and he didn't think he could handle two upset ladies alone! "Mother, I need to correct you, it might seem..."

But Emma put a hand on his arm. He looked at her questioningly and was surprised to see a loving expression on her features that she never let anybody else see ever. "Leave it, baby." she whispered simply. He gaped at her - she never used their term of endearment in front of anybody else either! When his mother asked him to have dinner together he suspected that this would be a significant night, but now one amazement hit after another! He quickly started a processing thread to run in the background to analyse the present change in Emma's behaviour, he was sure the result would be most intriguing.

He then looked at his mother cautiously "Are you sure you are feeling alright, Mother?"

Juliana nodded now with dry eyes "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Would you like a change of the subject?" he asked then added meticulously "Perhaps if I am to speak about something other than science, maybe I would not resemble Father so much, thus I would less likely to upset you."

Both women chuckled at his innocence, and Juliana tried to clarify the matter for him "It's not bad that you remind me of him, Data. To be honest, I never really dared to tell him, but I always thought that in character, you take after me a lot more than him, no matter that he made you after his own image. It's nice to see that there's something in you of him too."

"I see." Data gazed away thoughtfully - he still didn't quite comprehend why she started to cry, but he decided against prying further. He would need to run an analysis on her behaviour as well.

Juliana saw that he became a little wound up, and it was plain that probably Emma was even worse at such social situations as she was just sitting there looking at Data blinking timidly - almost begging him with her eyes to finally go home. She needed to move them away from feeling embarrassed, so she smiled at Emma "Why don't you tell me about that play Data mentioned earlier? The one the two of you play together in."

"Oh, sure!" Emma nodded surprised that she was being asked "It's called Dreamland. And it's a musical."

"So you sing too!" Juliana smiled amazed.

"And dance!" Data added.

"Oh!"

"Yes. It's a romantic piece, actually it's a dream. Most of it at least. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes sad, sometimes there are surprising twists in it." Emma stuttered a little not really knowing how much she should speak: should she start telling the whole story or just some points? How interested Juliana could be? She rather finished after a few sentences embarrassed "It's better be watched than told in words."

"And when can I watch it?" Juliana asked eagerly "If I may." she added.

"Tomorrow it's on." Data answered kindly "And of course you may, Mother. Why would you think otherwise?"

"I just don't want to embarrass you." Juliana explained on a soft voice.

Data shook his head unsure "I do not see in what way you would embarrass me."

His mother put clasped her fingers on the table and leaned forward a little with a smile "You know, Data, children can feel reluctant about showing their performances or achievements to their mothers. They could feel embarrassed about it. I was thinking maybe you might feel that way, if I went to watch the play."

He frowned considering then looked at her with a small serene smile "If that was so, I am eager to experience such an emotion too. I'd wager that is also a special form of bonding!"

Juliana laughed softly and gave Data's hand a gentle squeeze "Then I'm happy to be of assistance." she then went back to interrogate Emma out of her out-of-character timidity "And how are the preparations for the bachelorette party? I hear that you are organizing one for a friend."

"Yeah, no, eh, partly. I'm part of the group who are organizing it." she shrugged "We're only at the beginning. We'll see how it would end up..." she grimaced thinking about how great the first meeting went in the evening.

Juliana chuckled "And why are you looking as if you tasted lemon?"

And this time, Emma answered out of her usual bluntness, without thinking "Cause they're all nuns and voted off all of my ideas including a willy-cake!" she blurted in one breath and then hearing herself saying that, put her hands in front of her mouth tightly, her eyes were wide like two saucers. Juliana eyed her with a suppressed smile and taking her hands away, Emma looked at her pleadingly "Please, pretend I said nothing! I always speak before I think but I was doing so fine so far, just please, please forget this one sentence, please!"

And Juliana couldn't bear it any longer, she burst out in a heartfelt laugh, then wiping her eyes, she chuckled "Oh, I'm just happy that the Emma I got to know from Data's messages finally got here by the end of the dinner!" she then went on laughing, and finally Emma started to chuckle too.

Data was looking from one lady to the other confused and finally, he decided to ask: "What kind of a cake is a willy-cake?"

His answer was more laughter from the ladies.

* * *

After saying good night to Juliana, they walked down the corridor hand in hand:  
"Your mom is cool! I'm taking her into Team-Emma in the bachelorette-party-organizing-committee. She might help me convince the nuns that we do need a strip-guy!" Emma mused.

Data raised a forefinger as if he was doing a lecture: "I told you, she is a nice person. However, I am not sure I'm comfortable with the idea that my mother and my girlfriend are watching a male stripping down in front of them."

"Above them, on the counter preferably!" Emma corrected him mock-seriously "But you're right Deadpan, it wouldn't be appropriate." she stopped and looked up at him seductively "All the more so, because the one person I'd most like to watch strip for me is standing here." she draw a curvy line from his chest to his waistline with her forefinger, and he bent down to her face and kissed her softly on the lips. She was about to break away after a moment, but he tightened his embrace on her waist and deepened the otherwise chaste kiss. She couldn't resist, she circled his neck with her arms and responded to his explorations. After a long minute, when he had enough, he slowly broke away from her lips and gazed into her eyes hazy with desire.

"What did I tell you about making out in public?" she asked on a breathless whisper.

And without any previous warning, he started to speak on her voice: "Small kisses are fine, Deadpan, but fooling around in the corridors like teenagers is not okay! Think about it, we both are adults who should be in possession of their restrains. Compared to that we look like two drooling cadets groping around in each other's uniforms." he then cocked his head with as a deadpan expression as ever and added on his own voice "It is fortunate, we're not in our uniforms."

Emma just stood there gaping at him - there was something really creepy in hearing your own voice coming out of somebody else's mouth "You sounded as if you swallowed my vocal chords in the last smooch. But, Deadpan, if you do that one more time..." but her threat was swallowed in another long kiss. She responded with a small helpless moan. Then as he started to kiss her on the neck, and her mouth was free to speak she sighed feeling really light-headed "Oh, god..." she sucked in a breath as he started kissing her on her ear "Are you sure, that wine was only syntehol?" she asked on a thin voice.

He raised his head still with his usual neutral expression very much at odds with his hair so mussed up "Positive. The replicator is not programmed to give real alcohol, you know that."

She pushed her fingers through his hair "Then it is just your presence that makes me feel dizzy. Come here, baby!" she pulled his head back to hers and this time she kissed him deeply.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Just a quick note for those who might wonder about the frequency of updates: they will always come at the weekends. I'm the one most regretting the fact that I can't give you more frequent updates, but I just don't have enough time, sorry. I hope you'll hold on :)**

 **For the record, here comes some M stuff again! Enjoy or skip ahead!**

* * *

Emma and Data entered his quarters feverishly kissing. He threw his jacket - which he'd taken off minutes before, in the turbolift - carelessly to the ground then circled her with his arms once more trying to find the fastenings of her long dress on the back. As she felt him opening her dress, she slid her hands from his hair to his chest and started to unbutton his shirt.

He broke away and tried to look into her eyes, but she cuddled up to him and started to nuzzle and kiss his neck just under his ear - she knew he loved that. He responded with a grunt of pleasure and by pulling her closer and kissing her shoulder. "Emma..." he called on a soft voice. She raised her head from his neck and claimed his mouth hungrily, when she finally managed to open his shirt. She slid her palms over his body down to his waistline, and he needed to grab hold of his last remaining rationality to break away from her "Em..." he called again.

"Hmm?" she glanced into his eyes, but her gaze just fell helplessly back to his moist lips.

"If you want to stop... please tell me now... before I lose all my ability to think clearly." he told her cupping her cheek tenderly, and she could see how hard this was for him to say - and she could feel it too.

Her heart wanted to leap out, and her breath was caught by his nearness and his loving words. She knew he would have stopped a thousand times if she wanted him to, no matter how hard it'd be for him. And this thought made her feel so safe, so secure... But she just didn't want to get lost in the heartbreaking tenderness of the moment, or in the thought that no man had ever been this selfless, this patient with her - for her! She wanted this night to be fun for him! So she just gave him one of her teasing little smirks and pushed herself up to his now bare chest circling his neck with her arms "Don't ya like to be surprised?"

His eyebrows ran up and as a chuckle blurted out of her mouth at his expression, a moment later he joined her in her amusement shaking his head "You are..." but he was just lost for words.

"Evil? Cruel? The wicked witch of the west? Just say whatever is on your mind."

"I'd rather demonstrate whatever I have on my mind." he told her on a low voice and kissed her again pushing through lips and teeth to meet her tongue with his. Then reached up to her shoulder and started to ease her out of her dress.

She suddenly broke away "Wait!" she whispered.

He looked at her disbelievingly - was she serious? or was this just another teasing? Her expression seemed serious, so he grudgingly but resignedly let her dress go and just held her gently by the waist without making her feel trapped. He tried very hard not to show the disappointment he really felt. "Okay..." he whispered.

"No, no! I meant..." she looked at him embarrassed "I just meant, I don't want to be the first to get undressed."

"So you do wish to..."

She just kissed him deep and tried to push his shirt off his shoulders as an answer. He understood, and never letting her lips go, pulled the garment out of his trousers, and took it off.

She ran her hand up over his bare back then down again and marvelled in the feel of his skin and flesh and bones. Oh, he was just so perfect!

He broke away from her and smiled at her "You want me to strip down for you as you previously expressed in the corridor."

She giggled embarrassed "I just want to look at you." she whispered.

He leaned close to her face pulling her to himself tightly "I want to look at you too." he told her trying to catch her gaze. She just shut her eyes and let a painful expression cloud her features for a fraction of a second. He knew she was still unsure of herself, so he gave her a light kiss on the lips and smiled at her "Let's do this together! I have to admit, I feel a certain amount of embarrassment also. It'd be comforting to do this with you."

She finally returned his smile and nodded. He let her go and took half a step back from her. "To put ourselves at ease, we may as well proceed with the least embarrassing pieces of garment: shoes. That is, if you approve." he told her on an almost professional voice.

She smiled then chuckled and nodded "I approve. And I also approve of the fact that you take the lead. Just as if we were dancing." she told him shyly.

He smiled delighted and complying, he knelt on one knee before her. She giggled at the situation "It is a little early for that, Deadpan."

He frowned and looked over her then down at himself, then realizing what the way he was kneeling before her symbolized, smiled in wonder "But at least you didn't say 'no' right away!"

She laughed out loud and stroked his hair tenderly "You're just amazing!"

He reached up for her hand and bringing it to his lips, kissed her fingers softly. He then slid his hand up her arm until he reached the line of her tiny waist then slipped his hand around it. Then slowly, sensually, he moved his hand over her hip and her thigh until he reached the curve of her knee. He then reached down with his other hand and eased her foot out of her shoe. She watched his ministrations feeling her cheeks burn with excitement.

He moved over to her other foot and gently helping her out of her shoe again, he spoke on his usual silent voice "Did you know that there was a time when gentlemen used to drink champaign from the shoe of the Prima Donna after a performance on stage?" He looked up into her eyes "It was the ultimate act of respect for the lady and her beauty."

She stared into his eyes for a long moment as he knelt there before her gazing into her eyes with the exact same devotion she felt for him. This time, she was the one who smiled with childlike wonder feeling an emotion she hadn't for a very-very long time. No matter that it was too early. No matter that they barely knew each other. It was there. She felt she again blushed deeply, and she tried to stifle the feeling.

She smiled at him teasing "Did you know, Deadpan, that all of these small, unimportant things that you decide to elaborate on at the strangest of moments would drive me to nuts if they were coming from anyone else but you? But you somehow make them sound so interesting." They chuckled together, and then she shrugged trying to seem nonchalant "It must be the synthehol."

He decided to try to this once play along "Well, since the misconception of being intoxicated by synthetic alcohol emerged several times tonight, would you like me to elaborate on the ingredients of the beverage you'd enjoyed at my mother's place? Maybe a chemical analysis might help you understand how synthetic wine could never make you feel like real wine does." he offered helpfully.

She squinted pouting thoughtfully "Hmm... There's a dilemma: chemistry lesson versus having sex. Let me think..."

"No need to think about it in terms of versus. I'm perfectly capable of multitasking. And based on statistics, female humans are good at it too. We might as well test if this hypothesis fits you as well." he told her matter of factly.

She laughed out loud and taking his face between her hands, planted a loud kiss on his lips. Then breaking away, she remained bent and looked into his eyes "I'd prefer you going on with what you've started." she whispered.

"With the analysis?" he raised his eyebrows remaining as deadpan as ever.

She frowned "You're getting good at teasing, but you still have no idea when to quit and turn serious, babe! Now would be as good a time as any!"

"Understood!" he told her on a low voice and pulled her in for another kiss. When he let her mouth go, she straightened, and he went on with taking his own shoes and socks off. He then stood up and took her back into his arms. When she leaned to him to kiss him, he held up a forefinger "Ah! A moment, please!" he then raised his chin "Computer!" it chirped in response "Place the combadges of Lieutenant Jones and myself in Do-Not-Disturb mode, lock the door and decrease illumination of both rooms to 20 percent, please." The computer chirped in compliance, and the lights dimmed into an intimate semi-darkness. Emma couldn't help but felt grateful for it and her embarrassment diminished at least by a degree.

He kissed her then and started to peel her dress off her again. This time she didn't protest and let the garment fall from her body to the ground and pool around her feet. He helped her step out from it and tried not to stare at her curves as if his eyes might fall out, though his sexuality programming was literally ramming his skull from the inside to speed up and just take her where they were standing so pressed together on the floor. He made himself ignore the ever more urging prompts, so he could concentrate on her needs and held his desires in check - at least tried to do everything to do so.

He kissed her, while he slid a hand to her bra - under the dress, she needed to wear one - and undid the clasp with a single motion. Her eyes snapped open in utter surprise, and she broke away "Wow, you're practised!"

He considered the statement for a second then shook his head nonchalantly "Not really. However, I did study the possible clasps of bras before to be prepared."

She chuckled and shook her head disbelievingly then kissed the surprise away from his lips. He then pressed his palms over her bladebones and gently slid the bra from her back and shoulders forward. Despite the warmth of his hands, her skin became goosebumped at the sensual touch as he slid the garment off her arms never breaking their kiss and let it fall to the ground. By the time she reached for the fastenings of his pants, her hands were trembling. He slid his hands down her sides, following the feminine curves of her body, palms brushing the sides of her panty, then he reached around and did the job for her: he undid his trousers. Her breath was caught as he let her push his pants down, and she sighed into the long kiss with unsuppressible excitement.

The garment fell to the ground, and he pulled her hips against his to let her feel how much he wanted her. She moaned at the sensation and broke away to sigh "Oh, god!" then kissed him again holding him tightly by the waist. He slid his hands up her back and shoulders, and took her face into his hands pushing his fingers into her long hair. He pulled her mouth even closer teeth clattering as he pushed his tongue into her mouth even deeper.

She slid her hands to his butt and pulled him to her, in response, he moved his hands down her body once again and hooking his thumbs into her panty, he started to pull it down. Her breathing quickened and her pulse spiked as he let her last piece of garment fall to the ground and he put his hands to her now bare hips. He broke away for a moment "It's your turn now..." he whispered gazing intensely into her eyes. She swallowed hard, and he self-consciously added "It is worth mentioning that whatever you see now or will be about to see in a moment's time is just the system defaults. Most of these values are adjustable. For instance, most of my measures or my follicle production rate. To your requirements. Of course, between predefined ranges that is."

Her jaw dropped "Serious?" she blurted on a thin voice dumbstruck.

He glanced away a little uncomfortable "Of course. I would not tease you with SUCH a thing."

She chuckled in wonder "Am I the luckiest gal in the universe or what." she blurted again.

He smiled shyly "I don't know about that. However, I will endeavour to make you feel that way."

She smiled tenderly and stroked his cheek. Then looked at him still a little worried and asked the one question she was most anxious about "What if we screw up, Deadpan? I mean, what if it'll be really very-very bad? How are we gonna go on? Are we gonna break up? Or keep on trying or..."

"Em..." he took her hand from his face into his "Based on our previous attempts at pleasuring each other's bodies, do you seriously believe that it could be 'really very-very bad'? Baby, it does not have to be perfect the first time, however I refuse to let us consummate our bodily relationship with that fear hanging above us that we will 'screw up'. It will be something new. Something unique to us. However, I do believe that it will be something essentially good."

She sighed nodding, knowing he was right "Forgive me I just... it's just I've been married for ten years and..." she shrugged and glanced away now really embarrassed "Though I had a lot of reasons to and many opportunities came along, I was stupid enough never to cheat on him. I ...For eight years, he was the only one and... after that I was alone." she admitted - and just hated herself to bring this up JUST NOW. Shit, why did she have to ruin the moment every freaking time?!

However, Data reacted in a very surprising way - very much true to himself. He smiled at her cocking his head curiously "Do you really wish me to condemn you for being a faithful lover?"

She finally let on a small smile "No, it's just..."

"Or you feel that what we're about to do is... unethical in some fashion."

"No!" she shook her head firmly "It is over. It IS only on paper."

"So then what makes you doubt yourself?" he asked smiling forgivingly.

She chuckled shaking her head, not seeing now how she could have doubted anything: "I don't know, I call on syntheholic influence, your honor, Mr. Judge!"

"You do require that chemistry lesson, it would seem!"

She planted a small kiss on his lips "Later, Deadpan." she whispered and claiming his mouth, she pushed her hands into his boxers at his hips and slid them down. With their chit-chatting, his arousal lessened just enough that she could slide the garment off of him without any adjustments. He pulled her to him, and she feeling his nude body against hers kissed him even harder.

They stumbled out from among the heaps of clothing on the floor into his sleeping area. Seeing his cat in the middle of the bed, Data broke away from her lips for a moment "Spot, we'll require the bed!"

"I don't care about the bed!" Emma moaned, and kissed him deeply again.

Yes, why not? He could pick her up and enter her from below. Or drive her against the wall until she screams from pleasure. Or just lie her on the ground... No, no, none of those positions would be sufficiently comfortable for her! They needed to get used to each other before engaging in anything so extreme. - However, the thought itself was hot enough to make his sexuality programming prompt him furiously for control! But it was not yet time! He needed to...

The result of his internal struggle was some more furious kissing and their landing on their sides on the bed mercifully beside and not on top of a very sleepy AND cranky Spot. The cat left her napping place with a loud hiss of resentment and disappeared in the working area.

"Poor girl!" Emma breathed as he turned her on her back and lay above her.

"Don't worry... I'll conciliate her with some tuna... tomorrow..." he told her between kisses.

"Good that you added that, or I'd have the impression that you would jump up any minute to feed her. Ah..." she told him in one breath as he started to kiss her neck and ear.

He looked at her and put a forefinger on her lips "Hush now, Ms. Jones! No teasing in our bed!" and to give emphasis of his statement, he reached between the two of them and gently brushed a finger against her wetness. It was a feather-like touch, but it made her moan in pleasure.

"Ah... you said no teasing! Oh! Oh, god!"

"No verbal teasing then to be accurate enough to your liking, Ms. Jones!"

"Yes, sir..." she told him on a breathless whisper.

He took his finger away from her making her squirm under his hips helplessly for a moment, then gave her a lopsided grin, his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and mirth, and in a moment, he disappeared from her view - but she could feel very well where he was.

His lips left a wet trail on her skin wherever he kissed her. She vaguely thought that he had a wish of kissing literally every inch of her skin. He went from her neck over her collarbone then down between her breasts. He made a mental map of her skin in his mind, discovering each little birthmark or unevenness of her skin - and all her reactions she gave for his touching them. She was so human! And so beautiful! Every part of her body suggested the profound mixture of spontaneity and harmony of nature - so much at odds with his own body shouting of premeditated quality. He was just hoping that for a short time when their bodies would finally join, he could forget about how far he was from the one thing he was coveting most through dissolving into oneness with her humanity.

He slowly reached her hips - by which time, she was squirming under him gasping for breath. When he started kissing her at the one place that he knew she was the most sensitive, she moaned silently gripping the bedclothes around her. He went on pleasuring her, letting his programming take some of the control he dared not to give completely over to it yet. He needed to make sure she was in compliance with everything he would be doing, and didn't want to have even a fraction of a second of hesitating in stopping, if she gave any sign of him doing something not to her liking.

...It was well after the specified amount of time when according to his programming he should have felt her climax, when he finally decided that he needed a change in technique, but most of all, needed to check whether she was alright. From her intense reactions, he was sure, she was close, VERY close, yet something kept her from coming. He needed to understand, so he raised himself from between her legs and putting his fingers to her wetness, he lay above her to catch her gaze.

As she opened her eyes, he could very well see that they were hazy with desire, and she moaned helplessly looking into his eyes. "Ah... I'm sorry..." she whispered "It-It's so good... It's so good, baby, but I just can't... I'm so sorry..." she whispered struggling hard with the powerful sensations and against the frustration her overwhelming sense of inadequateness made her feel.

"Shh..." he kissed her on the lips tenderly and went on drawing gentle circles with his fingers around her center "Don't rush yourself, baby! We're here. We have time. I certainly won't get tired! Just close you eyes..." he whispered, and she obeyed with a breathless whimper as he nuzzled her ear with his nose and went on a soft voice as he increased the speed of his caress "Let yourself take the time. Let yourself give in to it! You're very close now! Give yourself over to it!"

And it was as if his words cast a spell on her body, her nails sank into his arm and back, she arched her back and stopped breathing for a few mindless moments of pleasure. He drew out the last bit of her climax from her gently and then just left his hand where it rested between her legs in her wetness. He waited for her breathing to calm down and when it did, she weakly turned into him and slid her arms around his body. He obeyed her unspoken wish and cuddled her close, finally taking his hand away from her center. And it was in that tender moment that understanding began to dawn on him. After a few seconds, he noticed that she was silently weeping - and he felt his heart break under it.

He raised his head and gently stroked her cheek wiping her rolling tears.

"Thank you..." she whispered on such a grateful voice that he felt his own eyes filled with tears. He needed to ask.

"Em... Was this ...your first?" his own voice seemed thin in his ears.

She sniffed and turned her gaze away ashamed "No, it... it has happened before... sometimes..."

It was a peculiar mixture of emotions that coursed through him hearing that one word. Sometimes... He felt his own tears roll down his cheeks from such a profound sadness that he rarely ever felt. Sometimes. He did also feel happy that he of all men could make her feel that way! And he could make sure to always make her feel that way as long as they were a couple. But there was something else as well. And the more times he replayed that one word over and over in his head, this thought just covered his mind like a black cloak taking the place of all other feelings: she was married for ten years, eight of which she spent living with her husband. Sometimes! Eight years, and that bastard never cared enough to notice! Sometimes! He felt as if pure fire rushed through his mental pathways! And he hoped that the man would NEVER come anywhere near them for his sake!

She reached up and wiped his tears away with her thumb, snapping him out of his crippling reverie. He saw her wistful smile. "I'm so sorry to ruin this night for you." her clarity of thought returned and with it a little bit of her shield of self-irony as well "I wanted it to be fun and now... here we are, two miserable cry-babies blubbering because of me."

"Oh, shut up..." he whispered and crushed her into a tight embrace. He pressed his lips to her cheek for a long moment, then raised his head and looked deep into her eyes "I promise you! It will ALWAYS be this way! Always, Emma! I promise you!" he told her on a firm voice.

She stroked his cheek again and smiled a sad smile "You don't need to promise, Data. I know you're a great guy. I just don't want you to feel obliged to make up for something that you had no responsibility in." she somehow suddenly felt bad about this whole. For ruining his night, for crying, for making him cry - or just simply because he now learned more about her in a few moments than anyone ever knew just by paying so full attention to her - and it was terrifying...

Data tried to get a grip on his emotions running wild and took a deep breath to calm himself. He then tried to smile and leaning above her gave her a kiss on the forehead. He then cocked his head to one side "I understand that for ladies, this is rather a process of learning and practising, rather than an automatic sensation. Therefore I suggest taking a refreshment course."

She laughed softly "With the best instructor ever? Oh, I'd be silly to refuse! But..." she combed through his dishevelled hair "What about you? We should be paying attention to your needs as well! I want to give you pleasure the way you have given me!"

He smiled and taking her hand kissed her fingers one by one then looked at her with sparkling eyes "Do you think that giving you pleasure does not give me pleasure? Do you think that seeing you feeling so overwhelmed by what I'm doing does not give me pleasure? Do you think feeling you under my fingers, under my lips does not give me pleasure?" and he slipped a hand between her legs again drawing a sound out of her that was halfway between a moan and a sigh - and she was again lost under his touch.

* * *

 **A/N: So now you may understand why I wanted (needed) it to be M-rated and maybe you forgive me for not writing this into Tidal Wave. That was dream - this, on the other hand, resembles reality too painfully.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Some more M-stuff here :)**

* * *

Data lay on his back in the darkness and lost himself in the sensation of listening to Emma's silent breathing. She'd fallen asleep in his arms, with her head on his chest, and her arms tightly around him, but after two hours and twenty-three minutes, she stirred and rolled to her back. He had arranged the blanket around and over her so she would be warm and comfortable, and then he just lay there next to her.

He was thinking about activating his dream programming, but he had such a wonderful afterglow that he didn't want to break it. He just wanted to enjoy it as long as he could.

He lazily replayed every moment of the last few hours in his head. The way she finally gave herself over to the sensations he was making her feel. The way it felt to finally enter her... How she clutched her arms around him, how her nails dug into his skin, how she just couldn't catch her breath... And oh, she held him tight, as tight as her body did - he was actually surprised by the intense sensation of her body's embrace so firm around him, but then he understood that two years of solitude may tense up a lady's muscles. He was cautious then not to hurt her and advanced only in tiny thrusts deeper and deeper until he finally felt his way inside of her fully up to the hilt. Then she clasped her legs around his waist as if to keep him from leaving her body, to hold him there with her forever. And she stared into his eyes with such an intense gaze, he had never before seen - they shared a perfect moment of complete unity, the one he so longed for. There was no movement, no sound, only the sensation that they were one body, one soul in that eternity of a second.

But their desires urged them to continue, and he, feeling her tense up around him tightly, started to move. Oh, what a sweet struggle it was to fight his own urges and desires to always preserve at least a fragment of rationality to pay attention to her slightest of reactions. But it was worth the effort! When he reached down and started to gently stroke her, she shut her eyes with a helpless whimper. And this time, she needed a little less time to reach her summit - and it lasted a little longer. Their practice of a few hours prior did seem to pay off. When he saw her regaining her sanity, and he knew she didn't require his complete attention any longer, he finally let himself go and came with a soundless shudder following her.

It was different. Very different from anything he ever knew about bodily pleasures. Once she'd told him that there was a difference between having sex and making love. He didn't understand it then - and though his intellect still couldn't grasp how one act could have such different meanings, his emotions, his body somehow comprehended it now. He felt he needed to let her know then how much she meant to him, how much their night together meant to him, how much her trust meant to him. But he was lost for words. They just lay there in each other's arms staring into each other's eyes spellbound, neither knowing how to break away - neither wanting to break away. But finally, exhaustion caught up on Emma, and she fainted into a deep sleep. He then gathered her into his arms and held her close, stroking her hair for a few hours until she finally rolled over.

He heard Spot stirring in the neighbour room, and he got up cautiously so as not to wake Emma. He put his boxers back on - his modesty programming seemed in need of some adjustment, taking the fact into consideration that he had a lover now, and he didn't need to be embarrassed of his nudity in front of her anymore - and walked out into the workspace area.

Spot met him in the middle of the room and started a complaining meowing for not letting her sleep with them tonight.

"Shhh, Spot!" he whispered and picked her up cuddling her lovingly "We'll require some privacy in our bed in the future, but you're still welcome to join us afterwards. Come." and he took her back to the bed.

He lay down and the cat climbed on his bare chest - then started to sharpen her nails on his skin. "Spot!" he whispered trying to sound reprimanding "I've told you, you must stop doing that! I know you're used to it that I don't get hurt, but if you think you may do this on anybody else, they would get seriously wounded!"

Spot inflected a few more scratches on him before obeying, just to let him know who the boss was around here, then finally scooped up on his chest. He stroked the back of her neck "Good cat..." he whispered, and she responded with some soft purring.

He smiled turning his head and looking over to Emma. She was deeply asleep, breathing quietly through her nose, her chest heaved, her hair was all around her face - everywhere on his pillow. If there was heaven, it certainly must be like this! He mused on this a little more. The Captain told him, he was a culture of one. And most cultures had some sort of a notion of a perfect place, which was nothing but happiness. If he could choose, he decided he chose this as his culture's happy place.

After another hour and a half, Emma again stirred and rolled over. Her sleep turned shallow, and she moaned softly as she reached out for him and cuddled up to him. Her hand however met Spot's fur, and she mumbled frowning, barely opening her eyes, still half asleep "Mmm... Is that Spot I'm feeling on your chest... or you did do some adjustments on your system default values while I was asleep?"

As a reply, the cat started to purr again as Emma faintly stroked her a few times.

"It IS Spot." he answered "And you amaze me at every waking moment."

"Mmm...now, do I?" she mumbled and nuzzled her face into his shoulder and arm resting her hand next to Spot on his chest. Her eyes closed again.

"You are not even fully conscious, and you tease me even in that state of mind." he explained.

"Hhhmm..." she smiled "No teasing come to my mind now, Deadpan. Disappointed?" she sighed sleepily.

He leaned to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead "Never."

She smiled falling back to sleep "Hmm... I love you, baby. Sleep tight." She said it so naturally as if it was the way they had always said good night. And she was asleep the next moment.

He was so stunned that he even forgot to breathe for over a full minute. A very unusual prompt from his body temperature sensors made him realize, his resources were so completely overtaken by what he'd heard that even his basic functions missed a few heartbeats - including sustaining temperature by breathing.

He replayed her words in his head a few times to make sure he heard them well. He did hear them well. Did she really mean those words for HIM? Was she aware of the fact that HE was lying next to her? She did say 'sleep tight' to him which might suggest the contrary, but she had said goodnight in this fashion before - making him feel so human, so one of the many he always so longed to be! And they had been talking before even about Spot - and he doubted any other lovers of hers possessed a feline named Spot.

She did say the words. She did say them to him. Did she mean them? She'd always been so adamant about having a crush and not being in love - except for that one occasion with his mother tonight. Should he ask her tomorrow? He tried to calculate the possible outcome of such a conversation and decided he wouldn't want to face the possibility of her taking her words back by playing them on fatigue. No. That cannot happen! Nobody ever said those words to him! Nobody ever expressed affection for him in such an explicit fashion! And now that he had those words for himself, he was not prepared to give them up! He would treasure them as his most precious possessions - he placed the recording of her few words under double guard against accidental deletion - and decided he would NEVER ask! If she really felt that way, she would say the words again - if not, he still had those words for himself and the belief that for tonight, for a singular night of his eternal life, they were true!

* * *

At around dawn, after Spot had left from his chest, he finally decided to dream at least for a short time. He slid closer to Emma so their bodies touched and closed his eyes.

A few moments later, she woke and sleepily tried to get her bearings. When she felt him pressed close to her naked body, the memories of the previous night flooded her mind. Oh, god, was he amazing! In all and every way possible! She couldn't suppress the smile that crawled on her lips: oh, she would pay him back!

She turned to him where he lay there on his back, and propped herself up above his sleeping face "I wonder if I can influence your dreams." she whispered then lowered her lips to his cheek. She kissed her way over his jawline to his chin, while her hand started to explore the curves of his chest. She kissed the tip of his nose then went over to his lips - he still didn't even stir. Maybe his dreaming couldn't be changed according to what was happening to him in reality, and she realized that if he was so completely unconscious and powerless while dreaming, it must have taken a lot of trust from him to let her be with him during that time. She swept the mussed up hair from his forehead then kissed him on the cheek again lovingly.

She decided to go on with her explorations. Even if he felt nothing from it, it still may be a nice thing to wake up to your lover kissing you.

Emma was wrong. Data's dreams did take very interesting curves as she started kissing him, even if he didn't react visibly. As usual in the last few weeks, his dreams started with the play, so they were on the holodeck. However, instead of playing, they were in his character's bed, and for some unfathomable reason, he didn't have the strength to even raise his arm, while she was kissing him, so he just let her take the lead and his eyes closed. When they opened again, he was still in a bed, still in darkness, and he still felt Emma kissing him over his chest, and he was not able to decide whether he was dreaming or awake, until he checked his processes and found that the session of his dream program had terminated. It was a disorienting sensation, but somehow he didn't worry about it, his resources were otherwise occupied as he felt her lips travel over his stomach.

His pulse ran wild as his sexuality programming demanded to have control again! He was still too disoriented to deny it this time, and he just gave himself over to her kisses and caresses. His hand came up to her head, and he stroked her silky hair - he loved the feel of it under his fingers! By the time her kisses reached his hips, he was fully prepared for her, and as she eased him out of his damned boxers, he idly wondered how to take her this time: should he just pull her up to him and turn her under him? or sit her atop him? His mind was so foggy with these pleasurable thoughts that finally she was the one who decided for him: she simply took him into her mouth.

His eyes flew open: he was completely unprepared for the sensation of her delicate lips so tightly around him and her hot wet tongue pressed firmly onto him! Nobody had ever done this for him before, and though he was always curious about the particular technique, he never dared to ask anybody to conduct such an act of pleasure for him. But she seemed overly enthusiastic, and his last remaining ounces of control was hanging on a thread anyways, so with a grunt, he just gave himself over to the sensations and let her do it.

And did she know what she was doing! In a matter of minutes, he lay there helplessly squirming under her, his hands clutched the bedclothes, and this time she could very well hear his otherwise silent sounds of pleasure. She knew he was very close and also felt that he really let himself enjoy this - and she felt a measure of pride to be able to drive him so crazy. She knew he was very strong mentally, and if he wanted to, he could suppress the strongest, most urging arousal too. But this time, he just let her make him fly, and it felt wonderful that he did!

When he finally came, she welcomed the sensation with anticipation and curiosity. But what she expected never happened. She did feel his body tense up, but no other physical evidence told her that he climaxed. He didn't even whimper. When she felt his muscles relax a little, she started to let him go, but then his pleading voice took her by surprise "No, no, please continue! Please!" he begged her, and she knew better than to ask before going on with her ministrations. In a few moments, his body tensed up again, and she got the impression that he actually came a second time, now with a soft grunt escaping his lips.

She slowly let him go with a final kiss and then crawled up to him to prop herself up on her elbow on the pillow next to him. He simply cuddled tightly to her turning into her, without even opening his eyes, making her, almost demandingly so, to put her arms around his shoulders and hold him close. She stroked his hair and planted an occasional kiss on the top of his head. He tried to crawl even closer. He seemed to need this tenderness almost as much as he needed the pleasure a few moments before, and for some reason, she was moved by his silent clinging to her so much so that her breath was caught by the feeling.

After a few minutes, he finally sighed, and as she let him go to lie next to him, he rolled on his back. He stared into the darkness for a few moments as Emma took his hand. He squeezed it as tightly as he could without hurting her and then twined his fingers through hers.

How was he going to work today? How was he going to be able to let go of her? Or just to leave their warm bed? How was he going to survive long hours without even seeing her, let alone touching her?! How HAD he so far?! The thoughts were almost like some kind of a feedback loop, but he was not afraid of ending up malfunctioning - he had no resources for that with so many a thought about her and about the two of them.

He then suddenly heard her voice "May I ask you a question?" she sounded a little unsure despite herself.

He took a calm breath before answering "You know you may ask anything. Anything you like." he told her on a reverent whispered.

When she did ask, her voice was reluctant and even a little embarrassed "Did you... did you actually come twice, or it was just my imagination and inexperience with your body?"

He was instantly snapped out of his warm afterglow and felt his insides suddenly be gripped by fear. He knew this question would be coming... He turned and looked at her through the darkness. He could tell from her unfocused eyes that she could not see the details of his face, and he tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible when he asked the one question he dreaded the most. "Does it seem repulsive to you?"

She blinked shocked "Repulsive? No, why would it?"

"Because it is not the default way a human male functions." he told her on a regretful voice.

He saw her sudden frown: "And who the fu-hell cares about THAT, Deadpan?" she blurted on a low, really confused voice.

"I... I was not sure how you would take that... that my climax is very different from the human male climax - at least in physicality. The pleasure I suppose is similar."

She propped herself up on her elbow and leaned to him running her hand over his chest "I noticed it's different." she said and he could hear her smiling - and he could tell she did not comprehend how deep his inhibitions ran concerning this topic. She was just curious, and somehow it made him relax a little. She went on on a low voice "I expected you to..." she grew surprisingly timid and silent "ya know... but you didn't..." she cleared her throat.

He could see her embarrassed smile through the darknes and he tried to keep his voice as neutral as he could "The physical tokens of a human male's pleasure is not part of the default programming. There would be no biological point of it. And though I attempted to emulate the reactions of an average human male during our first coupling, I found it unreasonable to include this as well... However, if you feel the need of that to be comfortable with the thought of having me as a partner, I may produce..."

"Hush, you silly..." she put a hand over his lips and kissing his cheek then his neck, she cuddled to him and lay her head on his chest. He held her close, and she sighed smiling "Baby, how many times do I need to tell you that I want YOU, not some 'average human male'? I want to get to know you in mind as much as in body. I don't care how a human male would normally react - believe me, I may know more about that than you do actually - I want to know how YOU would react to what I'm doing, so I can learn how to give pleasure to you. Now, how would I get to that if you kept trying to live up to some imagined 'average human male' fantasy?"

He took a few moments to answer, because suddenly he felt ashamed. She was right, but it was always so much easier to just try to do as he supposed that he was expected to. Sometimes, he wasn't even sure what it meant to be himself or how he was supposed to express his needs. But he had to try to give her what she asked for. So he started on a very embarrassed voice "When you... when you gave pleasure to me just now... It was a way... you did it in such a fashion... that I have wanted to try for a long while. And never did."

She frowned stunned at this then propped herself up again and looking down at his face, she tried to make out his features - she could only see the shining of his golden eyes sometimes disappearing in the darkness as he blinked. She stroked his hair and cheek tenderly "Looks like, I'm not the only one around here ending up with lousy lovers in the past." she told him on a low voice and wished she could see his reaction because he remained silent. After a long moment, she went on on a lighter tone to lift the suddenly dreary mood "And? Did you like it? Was it the way you imagined it?"

"No! It was significantly better!"

She chuckled "Significantly. Hmmm..." she gave a light kiss on his lips "Then we will do it often, baby."

He smiled in wonder and kissed her on the lips again, this time deeply, tongue thrusting into her mouth as if to seek out his own taste, and he rolled her to her back. When he let her lips go, she barely had any air left in her lungs. "Now I have something different in mind." he whispered into her ear, and taking her hand, he put it between the two of them.

She took in a sharp breath at the hot, hard sensation "No need for recuperation?" she asked surprised.

He just shook his head "U-um." and though she couldn't make it out, he had a really mischievous smile on his lips then his silhouette disappeared and from then on she could only feel where he was.

"Oh, am I the luckiest gal in the universe! Oh... my... god!"

* * *

 **A/N: If he was built to exceed human capacity, why wouldn't he be extraordinary in this too? ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

Beverly just finished the morning briefing of the Alpha shift of sickbay and was talking to nurse Ogawa, when Emma walked in with a joyous smile on her face. Bev exchanged glances with Alyssa, who couldn't suppress the small smile that crept on her face: she knew very well what it meant to be late but coming in with SUCH a smile! She'd worn that smile too when she'd started to go out with Andrew who later became her husband.

She smiled at Beverly "Talk to you later."

Bev nodded and as Alyssa left, she turned to Emma who still looked around quite absently "May I have a word with you."

Emma looked at her surprised frowning "Without even saying hi? Boy, am I in for trouble." she grimaced.

"You bet, you're over half an hour late." Bev told her reprimandingly then motioned with her finger to turn around and go outside.

Emma obeyed, and they went into Beverly's office next door to sickbay. When the door closed, Emma opened her mouth to explain, but Bev was faster.

"What in heaven's name are you doing?! This is the third time in the month!"

"Shit, Bev, have you had embers for breakfast that you're spitting fire? Chill out! I'm just late, it's not like I killed someone!"

"Stop being so ignorant about all this! What am I going to write into your evaluation? Have you thought about that?"

Emma spread her arms and shrugged "How would I know? You're the Chiefing Leading Main Doctor around here. You're the one who should know." then her smile betrayed her teasing.

But Bev didn't feel like being teased that morning - she had a briefing before her about the new mission of the Enterprise and not even one bit of hers felt good about it at all: "It's CMO. And you ought to be concerned about what your evaluation will say, if you don't want to be off this ship soon."

Emma crossed her arms sceptically taking her stand "Tyeah, like you had a myriad of nurses who can be trusted with the job of a doctor around here."

Bev glanced away "It's not about how you do your job." she winced, because Emma was right. They were short of well-prepared doctors, and though Emma had a decade of technological knowledge to make up for, she picked up most of it in a month's time. And Bev did trust her with doctor's tasks despite the restriction from Starfleet that she could only do the job of nurses until she proved her knowledge at the Medical Differential Exam.

Emma looked at her with her usual little smug smirk "You bet it isn't about how I do my job. Cause you and I, we both know well that I do a freaking awesome job. And if I didn't have to do that doggone exam, you should be fearing for your sorry little three-lettered title, missy, cause I'd be running on the next election for it." Emma stared into her eyes with challenge for one instant before a laugh blurted through her lips followed by a series of giggles. Bev tried to remain as serious and annoyed as she had been when they'd walked into her office, but the absurdity of Emma's teasing just took the better of her. She chuckled and covered her face with her palm.

"Oh, god. Nothing feels better in the earliest hours of the morning than realizing I have a competitor. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'll watch my back from now on." she teased back chuckling one last time then shook her head "Em. For god's sake. Try to be on time. Doctor Powell wants your head, and you know it. If you give him a good place to attack..."

Emma's expression turned seriously apologetic "I know, Bev. I know. I'm really sorry. I really don't mean to put you into such a horrible situation with oversleeping all the time but... but today was different..." then without any further explanation, she tiredly collapsed into a chair.

Bev went to half sit on her desk in front of her "What is it, dear? You came in with the smile of an angel today. I think even Alyssa noticed."

A smile flickered over Emma's features and she nodded "Yeah, I..." she shook her head and smiled again a helplessly happy smile "Actually, WE... ya know..." she shrugged, and it finally dawned on Bev.

"Oh, you're not saying that you..."

"Yeah, we did..."

"Oh, wow! Finally!" Bev put a hand on Emma's shoulder "I'm so happy for you!"

Emma laughed softly "Oh, Bev, I'm so happy for myself too! Oh, if you just knew how AMAZING he is! How attentive, how sexy, how attractive, ah... you wouldn't even believe it, if I told you all of it!" she shrugged not even knowing how to begin.

Bev's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her that Emma DID actually want to tell her 'all of it' and, she held her hands up defensively "No, no, no details! Please! You know how I feel about Data. He is a friend, and I almost literally watched him growing up! I don't think I can listen to such stories about him..."

"Oh, you've no idea what you're missing out on..." she buried her face in her palms and remained like that for a few moments. Beverly studied her strange posture and tried to guess what was going on - because it was plain that something WAS going on apart from the fact that they finally consummated their relationship. And her sixth sense didn't disappoint her, when Emma reluctantly spoke from her palms on a muffled voice "But there's something else..."

After a few moments, when she could see that Emma needed some encouragement, Beverly finally asked "What?"

Emma dropped her hands on her lap "I eh..." she fidgeted nervously in the chair, and Bev frowned at the sudden change of mood "Well, I... I think I ...told him something."

"Em, am I gonna have to use force to pull every word out of you? What did you tell him?"

Emma chuckled nervously "No..." she shrugged and then suddenly pushed herself out of the chair and started to pace around aimlessly. After a few moments, she finally admitted barely even glancing towards Bev "Well, I think I told him... that I love him."

"...Eh... You think?"

"Ah, yeah... I was very sleepy... almost asleep... But I'm pretty sure I did, yeah... It just slipped me..."

Beverly blinked for a few moments trying to find the question most appropriate from the hundred that suddenly popped into mind "I suppose your restless pacing means you haven't done that before."

Em turned to her annoyed and frowned "No, of course not!"

"Of course not?" Bev grimaced uncomfortably "You mean you didn't mean it?"

"I haven't said that!" Emma told her suddenly frowning irritated.

"So what's wrong? You told him that for the first time and you meant it, where's the catch?" Bev asked puzzled.

Emma glanced at her frustrated and slowly taking the few steps that separated them, she started to explain counting down her doubts on her fingers nervously "For one, it's too early. We've been going out for only two months. And we don't know each other! I mean he barely knows anything about me. And these things take time and..."

"And, and, and what?"

Emma gazed away very embarrassed "...and he didn't say anything." she added on a very silent voice. A very uncomfortable silence descended on them for a long moment. She shook her head swallowing hard looking for words to say - and didn't dare to even glance at Bev to see her reaction "I-I fell asleep almost right after saying it... But I'm kinda sure I'd have woken up to his voice - you know I'm not a good sleeper... And he didn't say anything in the morning either..."

Beverly winced trying to figure what on Earth she could say to THAT - it was plain that Emma was really hurt by this... "Maybe he didn't hear it." she tried - but knew right away it was a dumb guess...

Em looked at her annoyed "Sure. Data, whose ears are better than the average dog's, didn't hear his girlfriend saying 'I love you'. Come on, you'll have to try harder to reassure me than THIS, Bev."

"Okay, okay, fine, you're right!" Beverly pushed back her long strands with her fingers that had fallen into her eyes "Well... there could be a million reasons! Remember, you're his first serious relationship. Maybe he's not ready."

"Well, Bev, I'm not ready either! But I freaking said it!" Em retorted finally showing that she was really upset about all of this.

"Em, listen. You've gotta give him time. You keep saying that he is like a teenager. Maybe it's too early..."

"That's what I'm saying too! It's too early! I keep telling myself the same thing! Emma, it's too early; what the hell are you doing?" she asked herself in ultimate sarcasm then laughed a forced laugh "Well, this gal was not listening to common sense last night for sure...oh..." she moaned frustrated and put her forehead in her palm shaking her head.

"Em..." Beverly stood from her desk, and took her by the shoulders to make her look at her. When Emma finally did, she took her hands gently in hers, and Emma did let her, though her expression remained troubled. Bev smiled encouragingly "You said it, and he hasn't. So what? He WILL for sure. When he's ready." she told her on a soft voice. Emma's expression remained stubborn, and Bev gave her hand a gentle squeeze "No, listen! Don't tell me you don't see it. It's in every one of his gestures toward you. Every look. Every word. I've known him for a very long time. And never have I seen him looking at anybody quite the same way he looks at you. Why he doesn't say the words, I can't tell. But it's not a competition, Em. Let him take his time."

Emma shrugged a little considering. Actually, what Beverly said made sense. "I know, I know... It's just sometimes... I feel so unsure... about myself, about this whole..."

"Unsure? After a night that you just wanted to describe to me in every detail even knowing that I really, REALLY don't want a description? After which you came in with THAT smile?" Beverly chuckled "Come on, dear, you need to try harder if you want to convince me that you have no clue about his feelings for you."

After a moment, Emma chuckled with her then shrugged again "Shit, you're always so right. I hate that so much!" They laughed.

"Bad news that you'll need to put up with it for a few more years, if of course you stop being late!"

They laughed again and then Emma was the one who squeezed her friend's hands "Bev... ya know that I'm not the sentimental kinda type... ya know that... but... I don't think I can ever repay you for what you're doing for me. When I left Epsilon, I had no place to go, no family, no friends. You gave me a home, friendship, acceptance and... and I found this incredible guy here, where you brought me. I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Bev smiled and squeezed her hand "I'm glad that you look as happy as I hoped you would be when you came to the Enterprise." she told her friend softly. And there was something that just made her heart sink at that thought. A sudden surge of remorse washed over her to which she'd not been prepared. "I'm really happy for your happiness." she said on a silent voice, but her expression turned gloomy.

Emma noticed it and frowned: "What is it?"

Beverly glanced away trying to make the right decision "There's something ...something you..." she gazed back at her finally deciding to break a few rules "Our mission, Em. It's classified, but I have to tell you..." but then the door of the office opened, and Data stepped in with an unearthly smile on his face.

"May I come in or am I disturbing you?"

Emma let Bev's hand go and turned to him fully smiling back with the same smile he had on his lips. Then she turned her head back to Beverly questioningly, waiting for her to finish whatever she'd wanted to say - but Beverly knew the moment was gone. "No, no, just come in." she said and took a few steps toward the door, while Data wandered in and met Emma mid-room - they had eyes only for each other. It was so nice to see, that Bev's heart sank even more.

Data then looked at Beverly with a small, kind smile "Doctor Crusher. Geordi is sending you this." he told her and taking the few steps separating them, gave her a padd.

"Oh, yes, the study on dilithium we were talking about earlier." she pressed a few buttons checking the paper around and then looked up at him "He could have sent this to me via the computer. You really didn't have to tire with bringing it to me."

"As you might well know, Doctor, I can never grow tired. Besides, I offered to bring it to you." his eyes travelled back to the smiling Emma, giving the impression to Bev that it was almost second nature for him to lock his gaze with hers.

"I understand." Beverly nodded knowingly and then glanced at her friend "Em, five minutes." she told her strictly then left the two of them alone.

"That was really considerate of you to bring that padd over..." Emma started to complement on his politeness - and wanting to finish in a teasing, but Data simply stepped to her, took her into his arms and kissed her on the lips in one motion. In a short moment, Emma barely had any more doubts in her head. When they broke away, she felt light-headed and had to hold on to him "I think we agreed about not fooling around on duty, Mr. Commander." she whispered.

"That is correct, Ms. Jones. However, I believe we need to adjust our rules of interaction."

"Is that so?" she smiled and brushed the tip of her nose to his.

"Yes. I'd like you to be aware of the fact that I'm experiencing a very peculiar phenomenon I never before did."

"Really?"

He nodded and went on seemingly very matter-of-factly "The absence of your sensory input patterns on my mental pathways when you are not in my vicinity has become more pronounced now that we have consummated our bodily relationship. Therefore I suggest a change in our customs."

Emma smiled lovingly as she brushed the edge of his hair on his neck with the tips of her fingers "You missed me? Already? But we barely said goodbye half an hour ago."

His expression turned very serious "An eternity for an android." he explained raising his eyebrows.

Emma's lips parted as the realization hit her "You perceive time differently than I do."

He stared into her eyes and then nodded slowly.

She smiled in wonder and then stroked his cheek lovingly "You know sometimes, it's really hard to remember that you're not a human guy." she told him shyly. Seeing his stunned expression though, she quickly added "I-I didn't mean to hurt you with this! I hope you don't take it that way!"

"Hurt?" he shook his head amazed at the thought. For a long moment, he wasn't even able to find words to express how much that one sentence meant to him! "That was perhaps the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me!" he told her moved. And she smiled that tender smile she gave only to him.

Whenever she looked at him like that, with such care in her eyes, he always thought that though he might never achieve to be a human as it is, but probably these moments were the closest he would ever FEEL to be human. He kissed her again then and was not sure yet how he would let her go. She kissed him back with the same enthusiasm circling his neck with her arms, and she was pressed so close to him that he could feel her heartbeat.

But before they could lose themselves in their passion, his combadge went off:

"All senior staff to the observation lounge." Riker's voice came through the channel, and they broke away. She looked up at him breathless, and her heart skipped a beat as he gazed into her eyes with that overwhelming devotion.

"You need to..." she whispered.

"Yes." but made no motion of letting her go, instead bent to her again and pressed his lips to hers.

She smiled into the kiss - yeah, maybe Bev was more right than either of them thought. Finally, she broke away and stepped out of his arms "Don't be late, baby." she told him on a concerned voice.

He glanced away with an unreadable expression as if he was thinking about saying something then looked back at her and just told her "See you later."

She nodded with a small smile, and he left.


	8. Chapter 8

Juliana sat in the observation lounge ten minutes before the mission briefing was to start and watched the people slowly gathering. First, the Captain with a high ranking Starfleet officer arrived - Juliana recognized his insignia as that of an Admiral's - then Geordi and Riker followed by Deanna and Beverly. She knew them from a few years before, they were a fine crew and as she was watching them talking to each other smiling so kindly - even lovingly - at one another, she thought about how grateful she was to them for becoming the surrogate family of her son. She knew they had given him a lot of love, attention, and care - things she never had a chance to give him. Data arrived the last, only a minute before 8 o'clock, and he and Juliana greeted each other with a warm smile, but he sat at his usual place, next to Geordi and not next to her - a sad reminder for Juliana that he belonged to them not to her.

But she didn't have time to contemplate the loss of a past she could never have had with her son because when everybody was settled - Juliana next to Beverly - the briefing began, and the Captain introduced the two new comers:

"You all know Juliana Tainer, a geologist who would be helping us on this mission and most of you have met Admiral Seth McKinnley who joined us on the Enterprise a few hours ago. He will explain our mission in more detail."

The Admiral was an elderly man well over eighty and had a strangely slouching posture looking at them with his head bowed to the side, and Juliana felt a chill crawling up her spine on looking into his cold gray - almost white - eyes. He tried to straighten his back as much as he could while sitting in the chair and pushed his pointed chin forward:

"I believe we are missing one other person from this briefing before we can commence, Picard." he remarked offhandedly, and his voice didn't leave a better impression in Juliana's mind than anything else about his personality so far...

"Yes, she's..." the Captain began, but then the door opened and no other than Emma stepped in.

Everybody looked at her from where they were sitting around the large table, and she looked back at them startled, wide-eyed. Her shoulders dropped, and she sighed frustrated "Okay... What have I done THIS time?" she asked drawing a ripple of chuckle out of the senior staff. Then her eyes wandered to the Admiral and her jaw dropped "Uncle Seth?" she breathed stepping closer to take a better look at the man.

"Oh, you remember me!" the Admiral smiled and invited her in "Come in, my child! Come in! Take a seat." Emma obeyed and checking around the table, she realized she had no chance to sit next to Data who was watching her every move with a small smile on his lips. Juliana on the other hand motioned to the chair next to her invitingly, and finally Emma sat next to her almost at the end of the table. "I'm surprised you remember me." the Admiral remarked on a strangely soft voice very much at odds with his earlier tone "The last time we met you were in your teens. ...Your father was a good friend. His death was a loss to the whole of Starfleet and a personal tragedy to all who were close to him. My condolences for your loss, Emma."

Deanna sharply turned her head toward Emma at this as she felt a surge of chaotic emotions radiating from her. It was a mixture of hatred, anger and repulsion - and underneath all-consuming fear. She could tell Emma was not prepared to be reminded of her father that morning at all. "Thank you." Emma whispered and turned her gaze downward as if to hide her emotions blazing through her gaze.

The Admiral then went on on a professional voice "So as not to waste more time, let me start right away." Emma still had only one thought in her head - What am I doing here? - but was relieved that at least all eyes now turned from her to him as he started to tell the details of their mission: "Some of you might already know that our destination is the Epsilon system, more precisely the planet Epsilon Four. It used to be a Federation Colony, but years ago, it declared independence and..."

His subsequent words were lost as Emma heard only her own heart-beat hammering in her ears. Did she really hear that well? It must be... She looked at Data desperate to catch his gaze, but he was only looking at the Admiral. Curious and interested in the new mission - so very much like him. He probably had no idea how she felt about this all. About going back to the one place she wanted to be the farthest away from! Had he known where they were going? Had he known and simply didn't tell her? She turned towards Beverly - she did want to say something in the morning, just before Data came in. So they all knew. All of them. And said nothing.

Beverly felt her gaze on herself and turned to her with pleading eyes. Emma turned her gaze away and tried hard to calm her racing heart and swallow the tears of frustration and fear that ran to her eyes so suddenly. She tried to grip some fragment of her clarity of thought she desperately needed now: no matter how near they were to Epsilon, they were still in the skies, she was still on the Enterprise. She would not go down. She would simply stay on board.

"...I don't know how much you know about the political changes that occurred since you've left, Lieutenant Jones." she finally heard her name from the Admiral's lips, and she raised her head as if waking from a dream.

"I... I know nothing..." she said on such a low voice that the others barely heard her. And hearing her friend speak on such a thin voice made Beverly feel even worse. She wished she could just hold her hand and tell her it would be alright.

The Admiral's expression turned incredulous "You haven't talked to your husband ever since you left?"

"We only talked about the divorce. A month ago." Emma answered curtly.

"And he said nothing to you about his rise in power?"

Emma looked around taken aback. Rise in power? What the hell was he talking about?! She gazed around nervously. Everybody was looking at her expecting something from her, something she had no idea how to give! It was as if the others were expecting her to admit to her lying and were waiting for her to finally come out with the truth! "Rise in power? I've no idea what you're talking about." she said on a trembling voice and looked at Data almost as if asking for help. Finally, their gazes met - the first time ever since the name Epsilon Four was uttered. But to her complete dismay, he looked the same way the others did! He was expectant just the same as they were! Even you don't believe me, Deadpan? Even you question me?!

The Admiral snorted seemingly disappointed and went on with his explanation "A few weeks ago the former Premier, Nathaniel Hague died. His aeroplane crashed in the mountains near Ethel city. The circumstances are unclear and some unrest started to develop in the wake of the events. However, just before the situation got out of hand, your husband, Edmond Jones seized the power, and he was elected Premier of Epsilon Four. You really didn't know anything about THAT!"

Emma's lips parted in complete astonishment "I didn't." she whispered and shook her head "He didn't say anything about any of that! We talked only about the divorce. We argued for a while, then the signal broke up because of some interference. We haven't talked since and what difference would that make if I knew about his current position? I want nothing from him anymore!" she asked now showing the desperation Deanna could feel oozing from her in waves.

"We need as much information as it's possible to get before we arrive. And you are the most authentic source since you left only two months ago. Your connection to the current Premier is an invaluable asset to us. This is why it's so important that you recall everything you were talking to him about." the Admiral explained on an ice-cold voice.

Emma shook her head confused "I tell you everything you ask, of course, but I can't tell you what I don't know about." she glanced around the table but apart from Juliana's and Bev's sympathetic gaze, she found no backing up - Data just sat there with his usual, professional unreadable expression that left her even more devastated. Beverly felt her heart broke seeing her friend sitting there so pale and frail as if life was sucked out of her by even mentioning that cursed planet and her husband.

The Admiral ignored Emma's distress and turning to the others, went on "You might know about the fact that the colony's society is a cult of the 21st century. The people of Epsilon lead lives according to the customs and the technology of that era. The ideological backbone of this cult is the belief that in that time, no alien influence interfered with the development of the human race. They believe human DNA is contaminated by contacting alien races, and they wish to go back to the time before that making progress on their own, without any alien influence." he let the others take their time to digest the information. They looked at each other uncomfortably.

"It must be a really friendly place." Riker remarked wincing.

"The most appalling of it all is that they refuse to use any technology beyond the 21st century. Including medical treatments and cures." Beverly added on a shaken voice.

Geordi looked at her frowning "You mean if there's a sickness that could be cured with medical help of our era, they would refuse to use it?"

"Yes, exactly."

"It goes beyond that." Emma added still on a very distant voice "If a citizen of the Epsilon Four colony saw you with your eye-implants, they would report you to the police - and you would be sentenced to imprisonment for making use of illegal technology. Some doctors ended up in jail for refusing to abide by these rules."

Riker grimaced "I still can't understand who would want to live that way. Who would risk falling victim to a sickness or other threat that's non-existent in our era. Or risk the lives of their loved ones." he asked confused.

"Some of the first colonists were fanatical xenophobes. Just like the Premier was." Emma explained almost as if she was only talking to herself "They took their children and family with them to live on Epsilon. As far from Earth as possible. They sincerely believed that they could live better lives without the alien influence the human race is under now. They believe that after the Third World War and the Eugenics War, humanity would have evolved in a very different way it actually did because of the first contact with the Vulcans. Huge billboards, adverts and other means of propaganda still spread the belief that their way of life is the true way the whole of humanity should have followed. And that even if the lives of individual people are difficult, it's still better than being the puppets of aliens. The majority of the population DOES believe that to this day. Some of them however for some reason sobered and were disappointed later on, seeing that whatever the propaganda said, it was far from reality. Others went to the colony to change the minds of their beguiled family members. Later on, these people formed the Resistance. But most of the citizens still believe that living the way they do is the perfect way of living for humans, and that the Resistance is not more than a terrorist organization sponsored by aliens. It's as if the more horrible things happened to them, the more strongly they believed that they were right." she never managed to fully grasp how it was possible that the regime could affect the way people were thinking that much.

Sensing her confusion, Deanna spoke up "The psychology of cults are based strongly on the basis that the more an individual gives from his or her life, the more he or she will bond with the cult. It is simply the affect of mental, physical and emotional investment. If you have given up everything for the sake of a so called 'greater good', it's very difficult to admit that you were wrong in doing that. Because it would mean that you lose even the hope of ever getting anything back in return for your efforts." she explained mostly to Emma.

The Admiral took over once again "Now things are changing as it seems. The old Premier was adamant about keeping to their rules of no alien contact. However, Premier Jones seems to be lenient in his ways. After seizing the power over his opposition, he contacted the Federation. It is yet unclear as to how deep this leniency goes, but it seems he would like to warm the relations between the colony and the Federation. And we are going there to seize that opportunity! He welcomes a small committee of peace to negotiate."

"Can we believe that the change in their political attitude is purely because of the change in power? Or is there another reason behind it? The dissatisfaction of the people perhaps that we are unaware of." the Captain asked.

"No." Emma and the Admiral answered simultaneously.

The Admiral let Emma speak "The people are not important for Edmond Jones. Even if there's any dissatisfaction. However, he never does anything without a good enough reason. He's been living on Epsilon for over ten years. If he didn't have some really urging reason to contact the Federation, he would never have done it." - Deanna squirmed in her chair nervously: it was very difficult to shut out the overwhelming hatred Emma felt while talking about her husband.

"We suspect that they are running out of resources." the Admiral went on "The colony lives mainly from mining the rare minerals found on the planet. They cover their expenses by selling these minerals to human Federation colonies. It is possible that they're running short of minerals that can be mined by using technology of the 21st century."

"What minerals do we know about?" Juliana asked curiously.

Data looked at her to explain, and couldn't help to feel glad about arriving at a topic he was knowledgeable about unlike human ways of deluding each other... "The planet seems to be rich in a variety of valuable minerals and ores. I've attempted to trace all of the colony's commercial businesses to date, and though it was not possible to recover all data, it seems they even had dilithium to sell."

Juliana leaned forward and clasped her hands now really intrigued "It must have made a lot of money for them! With the shortage of dilithium we are facing nowadays, and with it's enormous technical use of being the matter/antimatter regulator in warp engines, it became the most valuable ore currently in commerce for those who want to travel at warp speed." she looked around the table as she went on "However, mining it is a difficult task. With the means they had in the 21st century, I'm surprised they managed to bring any of it up!"

"Ms. Tainer, this will be your job." the Admiral looked into her eyes "We need to know what kind of minerals are on the planet so we can deduce the Premier's intentions."

"Have you tried to scan the planet with a class 1 probe for traker deposits? It's easier to trace than dilithium itself, and is almost always located along dilithium." she asked.

"Yes." Data answered "However, conflicting results came back. There seems to be a kelbonite surface covering over 89 percent of the planet which shields whatever there is underneath. It is impossible to determine what minerals are located under the crust of the planet from our scans. However, tectonic disturbances are fairly common on the planet which might also suggest the presence of dilithium. We have seen such a tectonic effect of dilithium in the Drema sector."

Juliana shook her head "Hmmm... tectonic disturbances might be the result of a thousand other things. We need to go and check around ourselves to make sure." she concluded.

"Exactly, Ms. Tainer. Therefore while I conduct negotiations with the Premier, an away team will examine the resources of the planet. The objective is to learn all that we can about Epsilon Four." the Admiral looked over to Emma "And this is exactly what we need your help with, Ms. Jones."

She raised her eyes and nodded slowly "I tell you all that I can." her voice was calmer now - even though she had to talk about her husband, it seemed she was only required to be an advisor, nothing more. And if there was a chance to change anything on Epsilon, she was willing to help in that!

"Admiral." Picard turned to McKinnley "What are the intentions of the Federation if your negotiations succeed?"

"It all depends on our mission now. If we manage to establish relations, the goal is to build connections as close as possible. We want the colony to be an ally or if it's possible even a part of the Federation."

"Why?" Emma asked frowning confused - this sudden interest somehow managed to wake her from her lethargy... it was all wrong!

"To help the people of the colony of course. Many Earth families are missing their relatives who moved to Epsilon. They want the Federation to take measures against letting the colony drift so apart from the home planet."

"That's bullshit!" Emma suddenly blurted eyes blazing. All eyes were again on her shocked at her tone of voice toward such a high ranking superior.

"Lieutenant!" Picard growled at her on a dangerously low voice.

But she just shook her head "No, Captain, believe me, that's not true! The Federation never gave a flying fart about the colony! When the lunacy with the cult took to a level, where people were imprisoned if they spoke up about an injustice, the colony was still part of the Federation! And nobody ever raised their voice against the outrageous things that were going on! Starfleet gave even less shit for the officers left there trapped, myself included. There's no way this attitude is changed all because some people are missing their loved ones!"

"Emma!" Beverly called to her on a very uncomfortable voice - she was talking to an Admiral for god's sake!

"It's alright, Doctor Crusher. I've known Ms. Jones for a long while - perhaps even a longer while any of you do. It seems she hasn't changed a bit." the Admiral remarked coldly as he leaned forward and stared right into Emma's eyes. "You keep forgetting Lieutenant that it's enough if your superiors know the reasons. You just need to follow the orders. In this case, my orders." The edge in his voice made everybody - except for Data - squirm in their seats uncomfortably.

"I've told you, I would help. You don't need to order me blindly around or to lie! I would want to help those people down there too!" she told him on a low voice "I tell you everything I know."

The Admiral leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers "Unfortunately, Lieutenant, simple talking won't suffice."

Emma's heart sank. No. No, you can't! "What do you mean?" she breathed.

His eyes pierced into her very soul as he replied "Your husband had one condition to starting the negotiations. And that is you visiting him in person. As you are the most knowledgeable about Epsilon Four, you are to accompany the away team and help them with all and every information they would need during the mission, and you would say hello to your long time no see husband as kindly as you possibly can."

"No..." Emma uttered without even thinking beforehand.

"Lieutenant." Picard started but the Admiral raised his hand to silence him - everybody was shocked at the patronizing gesture.

"If you don't do as I say, you'll be relieved of duty." he said on a foreboding voice.

Emma stared into his eyes then glanced at Data who sat there seemingly petrified by the turn of events, and then at Beverly, who looked at her with pleading eyes. She slowly stood. The others looked at her disbelievingly as she reached up for her combadge and took it off. Placing it on the table, she finally said on a silent voice "Then I'm relieved."

Nobody expected the Admiral's reaction, and even Picard shuddered scared when the elder man jumped up from his chair and burst out shouting "Don't you dare play games with me! If you leave this room now, I swear I'll arrange that you'll spend the rest of your life in a Federation prison cell on the charge of treason!"

"I'm not going back to Epsilon Four! Not even if I'll be damned in hell for it!" she retorted.

"Emma, please!" Beverly pleaded.

"You'll pay for this dearly!" the Admiral threatened her once again.

And Emma shook her head with her usual slight smirk "Then until you figure out how somebody who was deprived of everything she ever held precious can pay, she'll be in the brig." then with one last look at Data's disbelieving face, she turned and left. She let her tears fall only when she was in the brig and collapsed on the berth.

Data jumped up from his chair to go after her, but Picard stood too and stopped him.

"Let me, Mr. Data." he asked leaving everybody speechless.

When he was at the door, the Admiral called after him "Picard! You better bring her back, or this mission is over before it could start! And for that, heads will need to fall!"

"I will try to keep that in mind, Admiral McKinnley, thank you." Picard told him on low voice with his usual carved in stone expression on his face and then left to go to the brig.


	9. Chapter 9

_"Emma Stern! I'm not telling you this any more times, young lady! You are beaming up to your ship RIGHT NOW!" the raspy voice of the old man on the screen came through the subspace channel mixed with some static. But Emma could very well see that her father was dead serious!_

 _But she had to take a stand! This once, she had to! "No, father, I'm not going back!"_

 _The features of the old man became hard and his cold blue eyes were blazing. Emma knew that face: it always predicted that he would go on in full Admiral mode, and she wasn't disappointed: "Lieutenant! As your commanding officer, I'm ordering you to report back to the Cairo!"_

 _Emma rolled her eyes "Father, you're not my commanding officer! Stop acting as if you had power over me, cause once in my life, I got out from under your freaking command, and I'm making my own decisions! And I..."_

 _"I'm not going to let my only daughter get married to a sleazy little colonist! A no-one! How dare you even think about deciding in such a matter without asking ME first?!" then a series of coughs rasped through the channel, and Emma could see that her father's face turned pale when his breathing finally evened. And her heart was gripped by fear - she wished she could understand why she was so scared of losing the one person that ruined her entire life..._

 _"Father, just once... please, try to understand!" she pleaded on a low voice._

 _The old man glared at her with a look that made her feel guilty "You see what your disobedience does to your old father? You'll put me in the coffin one day, just the way you did with your mother! But you'll regret it, believe me! You'll break all of the nails on your hands trying to crawl me out of the grave!"_

 _But suddenly, there was even more static in the sound and the visual: "Father, the channel is breaking up, I..." but she couldn't finish. The image of the old man disappeared as the screen went blank, and suddenly, Emma felt two hands over her eyes._

 _"Guess who?" she heard a familiar French accent, and the hands let her go. She turned, and Edmond kissed her on the lips. When he let her go, she smiled at him ruefully and he put his fingers under her chin to make her look at him "No, ma chérie, a day before her wedding the beautiful bride must not look so sad!"_

 _She smiled this time a more heart-felt smile: "You're right..." then her expression turned gloomy again "I tried to tell him but..."_

 _"He was upset, of course! Saying that this marriage is outrageous, of course! Calling me a nobody, of course!" he finished her sentence AND her thoughts smiling challengingly._

 _"You were eavesdropping?" she frowned but didn't really feel angry about it._

 _He leaned closer and gave a light kiss on her lips then stared into her eyes with his intent black gaze "Who do you think has broken your channel up?" he asked mischievously._

 _"Oh, you! You're naughty!" she shook her head stunned and was not sure if she should have been angry or amazed._

 _Ed tightened his embrace around her almost too tight "You're mine now, chérie!" he whispered "We're getting married tomorrow, and I'm not gonna let anybody talk you out of it! Not even a grumpy old man, you no longer need!" he finished and kissed her on the lips until she had no more air left in her lungs._

* * *

Picard strode on the corridor of the detention cells, and his thoughts were somber. He was no fool. He could smell this whole mission was stinking from a hundred lightyears away. He wanted to know what really was going on behind the Federation's sudden interest in the colony, and on a more imminent accord, wanted to see what the Admiral's real intentions were. However, it was plain that they could not get anywhere with the mindless, blunt honesty that was such a trademark characteristic of Lieutenant Jones. He needed convince her that running out on them the way she did was not the resolution and he needed to get her to think at least twice before opening her mouth - the latter seemed the hardest part of it all.

He walked into the brig, and the guard stepped up to him confused: "Sir, the Lieutenant came in here and sat in that cell ever since. I don't know..."

Picard raised a hand to sooth him "That's alright, Ensign! You're dismissed now."

"Yes, Sir." the young man nodded and left them alone.

Picard stepped to the entrance of the small cell - the forcefield was not up - and looked at Emma for a moment. She sat there slouching, her hands were trembling as they were dropped in her lap, her face was tear-streaked, but the most shocking of her sight was that her nails bled on some of her fingers. It was a blood-chilling reminiscence of somebody tearing her nails at trying to crawl out of a cell or a coffin - though he was sure she had just bitten her nails too deep.

He stepped in and slowly sat next to her. She didn't move, and if he wanted to be honest, he wasn't even sure that she perceived his presence.

"That is a very bad habit, Lieutenant." he motioned to her nails bit almost to the flesh.

Emma took in a shaky breath and straightened her back a little as she wiped her tears from her face with the back of her hand "You came. Not Data. How come you didn't maximize the manipulation effect and sent HIM to talk me into making a suicidal leap?" He could tell she wanted to sound strong, but her voice was shaking and tear-filled. A sudden wave of pity washed over him: here was this woman who always tried to seem so fierce, so dominant and now... she was a mess crushed under her fears.

"I owe you an apology." Picard stated on a low voice.

To this Emma slowly looked at him. Her eyes were still hazy reflected shock, and she frowned really confused "For what?"

"You tried to tell me once what you left behind on Epsilon Four. I refused to listen because my pride was hurt. And I'm not talking only about my pride as a man. I'm talking about the pride of a Starfleet officer who is willing to give even his life for the fleet or the Federation. You made me face that even the Federation sometimes makes mistakes. And I have to admit, it hurt my pride as a Starfleet officer."

Emma tried to chuckle at this, but it became a snort. She stood up and started to pace slowly, aimlessly in the small cell. She stopped at the washbasin and stared at her reflection in the water: her face was pale and tear-streaked, and the look in her eyes distraught - she was scared of her own self for a moment! She reached into the water and washed her face quickly as if only to destroy that reflection - the ghost of her real self. Her bitten nails left the water pink from her blood, and the wounds started to sting.

She wiped her face and hands with a towel and muttered "Mistakes. I would rather call them a crimes..." He didn't reply, and she turned to him from the washbasin and looked into his eyes "The Federation let us down. Let the people on that planet down, let the Starfleet officers who remained behind down, everybody..." she shook her head looking for words, but she felt her mind was scattered into tiny pieces all over this cell - she tried again "People died there. Died of sicknesses, died of police brutality, died in prison, some were executed... you name it! And Uncle Seth, the biggest friend of my goddamn father walks in here and tells me that now, all of a sudden, the Federation wants to kiss and make up." she threw her hands up and laughed a forced laugh "Only because they're concerned about the people and their families! Oh, god, how the ceiling never fell on his head, I don't even..."

He stood up and stepped opposite her to look into her eyes "It's plain that this whole is a façade. Don't think that the people in the observation lounge weren't aware of that. But to walk out the way you just did is cowardly and by no means the way a Starfleet officer acts."

Emma suddenly laughed, and it was so sharp and forced that Picard felt the sound almost hurt his ears "Haven't you noticed, Captain Picard that I'm anything but a Starfleet officer?" she stepped around him and took a few paces to distance herself from him then turned to him again and looked into his eyes "You know how I got into Starfleet? My father intended the Academy for me as a punishment." she took a step closer "Do you know how the remarkable Admiral Stern, whose death is the loss of the whole of Starfleet, treated his family? My brothers and I were scared shitless whenever he was home. You know fathers normally kiss their kids before bed. Mine beat us up saying 'You haven't done anything today, but surely you will tomorrow to deserve it.' I was the only one who never broke!" she stepped now close to him again, and Picard knew he had to let her talk. She went on on a firm voice "I was lucky. I had wits. By the age of sixteen, I finished high school, in time I might add, just before I would have dropped out for truancy. He thought, in the Academy, I would finally learn some discipline. That's how I got into your precious Starfleet, Captain Picard. That's how much this whole means to me. So just tell Uncle Seth that he has done me a friendly favour. And have a very good day, Sir." she finished and walking back to the berth, she collapsed on it into the same slouching position he had found her.

Picard watched her for a moment longer then stepped in front of her, but he couldn't make her look up at him, so he just started to talk "When we had that little tiff about a month ago, just before your premiere of Dreamland, I looked up your record. I was stunned to find that some of it was classified by no other but Admiral Stern." At this, Emma finally looked up into his eyes, but her expression was unreadable. He went on "It made me curious, so I pulled some strings and checked around with some old Academy friends. It turns out that in your first semester, on multiple occasions, your father helped in covering the trouble you got yourself into and made you stay in the Academy." Emma bowed her head ashamed and he went on "The troubles seemed to lessen and then went away completely in your second semester. I tried to look for a reason for such a radical change and found that that was the time you were assigned to the same room with..."

"Beverly." she finished nodding, and he waited for her to go on "She was six years older than me. I was sixteen, she was twenty-two. She saw how ...lost I was there... And oh, she was so full of good intentions! Just like now... She helped me understand that even, if I was studying to do the job my father wanted me to do, I got a chance to live my own life. Without his influence." she said on a soft voice.

"And you finished with flying colors I might say. With honors in exo-biology."

"I was just lucky. My brain picks up everything, even the things I don't want to remember... The very fact that I finished Starfleet Medical was only her merit. Nobody else's."

He slowly sat down next to her and went on on a seemingly neutral voice "And now you're finally together again. You're doing a fine job as I hear. You have a home. You have people around you, whom you can call friends. Maybe even family. And you want me to believe you, when you say, you'd gladly give it all up just to defy Admiral McKinnley."

She turned her head sharply to him "Don't you understand?!" she asked in complete desperation "If I go back to that planet, to the planet where my husband is the lord of life and death, he'll NEVER let me leave! Ever! Don't you understand that this whole is his game?! He moves the pieces around on the board for both colors, we just make the moves he wants us to! And if he gets a chance to make me go there, he'll play his game until I'll have no choice left but to stay! And I'm not gonna play his game ever again. No matter how cowardly you may regard me, Captain Picard."

Despite Emma's outburst, Picard looked at her smiling a small, tight smile "You are forgetting, Lieutenant, that your husband is not the only one good at playing games."

Emma shook her head stubbornly "You don't know him Captain Picard. It's like playing a blind game of chess, without knowing his steps or even what your own steps would bring on your head. You don't know what he's capable of."

He refused to let her lose herself in this agony of desperation "But that is exactly what you can help me with! You know him, you know that planet. It gives us an immense advantage." Emma looked at him pleading now - she really didn't want to let herself being convinced as he went on "Don't you want to get to the bottom of this? Don't you want to see what's behind all of this? Why the Federation became so interested so suddenly? What your husband wants with bringing Starfleet there? Don't you want to finally close the wounds of the past and look into the future? Don't tell me, you enjoy wearing somebody's name that you want to forget. Don't tell me you want to run away with your tail wagged between your legs! The woman, who had the courage to tell her Captain that he's a hard-ass has more courage than to just give up on her life like that! Now, if you gave this crew and myself and even Mr. Data just a tiny fragment of trust, you would let us help you, and you would help us in return."

Emma bowed and shook her head defeated - oh, yes, she wanted to close the door on the past! Of course she did! She wanted nothing but that for years! But still... "I trust you. Believe me, I do, it's just that I'm... I'm so..." she shook her head again and looked up into his eyes hoping that he would understand without her saying the words.

And the Captain did understand: "Then we will need to make you feel as safe and secure as possible."


	10. Chapter 10

"When we first arrived on Epsilon, the buildings of the two largest cities were already there." Emma started recalling the story of the colony, seated once again at the table of the observation lounge. The others listened to her intently. "The people were not told how these premises could be there on a previously unoccupied planet, but it was quite plain that some 24th century technology must have been used. But the colonists were too busy with settling in, nobody asked anything. Later on, Ed told me that the planet was the inheritance of Premier Hague who had an almost pervert fascination for the 21st century. His family was very rich, they were trading with a lot of different races, and somehow they got this planet, maybe as a payment for something. Maybe the buildings were there because of the same reason, I don't know. The biggest city is Ethel, it was named after Premier Hague's late wife. The residence of the Premier is in the western part of it. All the high ranking officials live in the same premise, so we practically lived together with the family of the Premier."

"That means you lived in fairly wealthy surroundings. Why did you decide to give that up?" the Admiral asked suspiciously.

Emma looked daggers at him "My good conscience took the better of me." she growled sarcastically.

The Admiral snorted "Don't be ridiculous. For years, your conscience never said anything, and then all of a sudden...?"

Emma shrugged "You want the truth? Fine. We were rich, we did live in luxury. Well, of course, by 21st century standard that is. I was a celebrated star for years. I was one of the most popular actresses on the colony. The Premier loved 21st century movies and made a huge investment in the film and theatre industry. Of course, it all had a secondary use of creating the propaganda that kept the people thinking in the specific way he wanted them to think. I left because my marriage deteriorated to the extent that it was impossible to be around each other. We fought all the time. About everything. I couldn't put up with it any longer."

"You joined the Resistance, if I understand correctly." the Admiral questioned her on.

"Yes, I did."

"Who is the leader of the Resistance? Where are they located?"

Emma turned her head to him sharply at this "I don't know! What do you need this information for?" she asked with a suspicious frown.

"I'm the one who is asking the questions, Lieutenant. I have told you, we need all information that could pose as tactical value."

Emma looked at Picard who sat next to the Admiral stone-faced. His expression remained unreadable, and Emma felt, she again remained alone. She took a deep breath and shook her head "I have no idea of any of these things." Deanna turned her head sharply to her at this which Emma didn't notice, but the Captain did. However, they let Emma go on "I worked at a hospital, which made use of illegal medicine and treatments. It was raided not long before I left the colony. All the people I knew from the Resistance were captured. That's all I can say."

Riker spoke up "You mentioned that the Resistance is treated as a terrorist organization. What does that mean? Do they commit acts of violence?"

Emma turned her head away disgusted even by remembering it "Sometimes. There are radicals amongst them too, but most of them just want to live a normal life or simply want to save their families."

The Admiral snorted again "But they're not averse from killing people to reach that goal."

Emma took a breath to calm herself "I've told you. Not all of them are like that. Sometimes the government itself has bombs planted, so they can keep up the fear and blame the Resistance for the violence."

"But you were not part of this radical faction, were you? Because being radical is just so far away from your very nature." the Admiral seemed to taunt her.

She took a long breath to calm herself - and failed. "Have I planted bombs, Uncle Seth? Is that what you're asking me?" she replied on a shaky voice.

He held her gaze with his cold one "You're saying you became a small screw in the structure of the Resistance, and that the Resistance never made use of the wife of a high ranking official? That's fairly unbelievable, Ms. Jones." the Admiral grimaced staring right into Emma's eyes.

"You may believe whatever you wish." Emma hissed - it was plain that her temper hang on a thin thread, and Picard didn't want it to snap.

He leaned forward and caught her gaze with his "Ms. Jones, let me ask you this. When we beam down there, what can we expect? What is the general morale like on the planet? If these people shun modern technology and alien cultures, how are they going to react to the presence of Starfleet officers?"

Emma shook her head "Forget about going there as Starfleet officers. Forget about your uniforms. Within the residence of the Premier, you may wear it, but if you want to go outside, you'll just have to wear casual clothes."

Deanna spoke up on her soft voice "What about non-human officers like me or Commander Data? Are they so hostile against aliens that they would threaten us only because we are not humans?"

Emma thought for a moment before answering "Well... you would pass as a human, Deanna. I don't think anybody would suspect that you're not fully human. However, I still advice against your going down." she finished on a low voice.

"Why?" Deanna asked sensing that here was again a memory Emma was reluctant to recall.

Emma took a long breath again and spoke on a very low voice: "Three or four years ago, there was a new wave of propaganda. It stated that there are shape-shifter aliens who might pose as humans. And that these aliens already lived on the colony among the people. It had a hysterical effect on the population. Neighbours, even family members started to report each other to the police. The paranoia reached a height when even lynchings took place. I have seen some of the victims, some of them died in my hospital... If by any chance, it would somehow turn out that you're not a human..." she shook her head "Let's not risk that, Deanna." Emma told her on a silent voice, and Deanna could feel the distress and the concern that Emma felt for her. It made her heart lurch.

Emma turned to Data and looked at him for the first time they had come back to the observation lounge with Picard "You on the other hand... I don't think anybody would possess the means to hurt you in any way down there. But you will not be able to blend in. The color of your skin and eyes would sell that you're not a human right away." she told him softly.

"It's possible to alter that." Beverly replied "On a mission to Romulus a few years ago, the Captain and Data posed as Romulans, and it worked pretty well! Nobody suspected anything." she turned to Data with a small smile "It won't be a problem to turn you into a human this time."

"Thank you, Doctor." he said on his usual silent tone though felt a little uneasy about the idea.

The conversation turning strangely silent was suddenly broken by the raspy voice of the Admiral "It is irrelevant to talk about Mr. Data joining the away team before the necessary modifications prescribed by Starfleet are done on his system. So it is a moot point to discuss this matter."

A confused silence descended on the room broken only by Data's obedient "Yes, Sir."

Finally, Geordi was the one who broke the stunned silence "What modifications are you referring to, if I may ask, Sir?" he asked puzzled.

"The ones that were ruled necessary by the court martial of course, Mr. La Forge." the Admiral shrugged nonchalantly as if this was the most well-known piece of information on the ship - while the others were looking at each other and Data completely bewildered. He went on "It is to improve Mr. Data's abilities during duty hours, which gradually degraded in the last two years with the implementation of his so called emotion-chip. Which you all might have noticed. After the last occasion, when these effects could have had grave consequences, it was decided that he may not use the chip on duty, especially not on away missions. As long as the modifications are not done, he may not go to away missions."

Geordi looked at his friend wide-eyed - Data just sat there with his deadpan expression - and tried to think of something to say, but Emma was quicker and spoke up on a hard voice "Then I'm not going either!"

"What?!" the Admiral retorted.

"This was our agreement with the Captain." she explained "I assist you in everything you wish me to, but Data will be assigned next to me. He's the only person that I feel safe with. I trust no one else!"

Geordi tried to offer some help, though he felt as if he was to assist in dissecting his own friend: "If it's necessary... I can fix the chip's turn off switch, which is still fused. I suppose I can do it in a few hours if..."

"I'm afraid it will not suffice, Mr. La Forge." the Admiral cut in "It was decided that the chip has to be altered in a way that it is possible to remove it. So on duty he would not be able to utilize it."

Emma felt a catch in her throat as she stared at his boyfriend shocked - could this day get any worse than this?! She tried to catch Data's gaze, but he just stared ahead with as a neutral expression as ever. She looked to her side at Juliana. The elder woman sat there seemingly shaken to her core. Emma suddenly wished she could just take her hand and tell her that she was not alone in how she felt...

Geordi went on sticking to the technological aspect of the question - because any other aspects were just too hard to face "But it's impossible! The chip is infused irreversibly to Data's positronic neural net! It's not possible to remove it!"

"It is possible, Geordi." Data told him silently "Based on the schematics, though it's a very difficult task, it is possible to be carried out."

"It would require like a million of bypassing circuits!" Geordi told them now on a really agitated voice as he wasn't able to conceal his complete shock anymore.

The Admiral cut in impatiently "Let's put this very interesting discussion off to another time. Right now our priority is the mission to Epsilon Four."

Data just glanced at Geordi but then kept his gaze lowered "I will tell you everything later on." he whispered. Geordi looked around and judging by the expressions of the others, it seemed except for Riker and the Captain, nobody, not even Emma knew about this! Data! What the hell was going on here?!

The Admiral went on "We have plenty of qualified officers to choose from on the Enterprise to put together an away team. I suppose there won't be any problems in putting together the team without Commander Data."

"Except that I'm not going without Commander Data." they suddenly heard Emma's voice again, repeating her previous statement. All eyes were on her again, and she looked around now with a frighteningly calm, determined gaze. She eventually rested her gaze on Data "If you want me to go down to Epsilon, you'll let Data go with me."

The Admiral's temper snapped just the way when Emma walked out on them an hour ago "What difference does it make who goes with you?! Who do you think you are to dictate here, Lieutenant?!" his voice thundered through the room.

"That is my condition!"

"Outrageous! You're not in the position to..."

"I'm EXACTLY in the position. Sir. You want me down on that planet? Fine! But Data will be there with me every moment of every minute I spend down there! As Captain Picard promised."

The Admiral glared at the Captain, and it was quite plain that he would have a few words with him for making this promise to Emma.

"Admiral McKinnley." the Captain looked at the elder man with calm eyes "I take personal responsibility for Mr. Data, I would trust him with my life, and I sincerely believe that Ms. Jones does also. You have the authority to suspend the ruling of the court martial. I'd suppose it would make our situation a lot easier, if you used that authority."

The Admiral snorted and looked at Emma "You do think that you're still the little girl of an Admiral who can get whatever she wishes, don't you? Well, if you're so adamant about it Ms. Jones, let it be. But he cannot officially accompany the away team, only as your personal bodyguard. I hope this does not put you off Mr. Data." he looked into the android's golden eyes with a challenging smirk.

Data held his gaze, his expression remained neutral as he nodded "Not at all, Sir."

"Of course as soon as Doctor Maddox arrives, you will be required to undergo the procedure."

"Understood, Sir."

Emma looked around the table - everybody was looking at each other wide-eyed and with a shocked expression.

"Maddox. If I never heard that name again in my life, that would have been too soon." Riker remarked on a bitter voice - alien to Emma's ears.

Data answered to him "I understand your aversion, Commander, however, Doctor Maddox is the most knowledgeable cyberneticist with regards to the Soong-type design. As this would be a more complex procedure, I felt it necessary to involve him."

Juliana and Emma exchanged confused glances, and both of them realized that neither of them had any idea of who this Maddox could be, but it was plain that the others became really worried by even the mention of the name.

The Admiral broke her trail of thought "This is all very interesting, Mr. Data, but lets continue at another time. Ms. Jones." he turned back to Emma "Is there anything else that we need to know about before beaming down there?"

Emma stared into his eyes contemplating whether she should send him to hell for treating Data the way he did, but she thought better of it and then just looked at them thoughtfully "Well... it's worth mentioning that there is a surveillance system in operation all over the colony. That is apart from the fact that the people are very suspicious by nature and are encouraged to report everything out of the ordinary to the police. The apartments are bugged, most probably the rooms in the residence that we will be assigned to will be bugged too. If you go out, you'll certainly be followed. You may not notice it, but it will happen. If you want to visit any place that you don't want others to know about, you'll need to beam to the exact coordinates. As far as I know, they don't have the technology to track that."

"When do we arrive at Epsilon Four?" Picard asked Data.

"22 hours 16 minutes, Sir."

"Data, I'd like you to show the findings of the probe to Ms. Tainer in the remaining time. Perhaps she might notice something in the data that would prove useful to us."

"Yes, Sir."

"Captain," Beverly spoke up on a soft voice "I'd like to volunteer to be part of the away team. I'd like to see the level of medical technology the colony is at. Perhaps I could advice them within the given circumstances on more effective methodology."

"Very well." the Captain nodded his assent "If the Admiral has no objections of course."

"None at all. Medical improvement might be a negotiation point as well."

Emma turned her head away so as they would not see her scepticism. She spent years with trying to convince the people about the need to loosen the rules at least in medical technology. And failed. But it would be comforting to know that Bev was with her down there, so she decided to be selfish enough not to say a word of objection.

Riker spoke up counting down the people in the away team so far "So that means Ms. Jones, Data, Ms. Tainer and Doctor Crusher will consist the team including Admiral McKinnley and myself."

"No, Number One." the Captain spoke up.

"But Captain..." Riker started to object - why did they have to do this EVERY singular time?

The Captain cut in "This time, I'll need to go. Your responsibility is the Enterprise. Make sure to keep a lock on us at all times. I don't want any surprises on a planet with a population as hostile as Ms. Jones described it."

Riker let out a long breath and nodded "Understood, Sir."


	11. Chapter 11

When the briefing was finally over, Data felt he was almost literally pulled in three directions. He was ordered to show his mother the probe's findings, Geordi jumped at him saying that they needed to talk, and above all else, he wanted to go to Emma to check if she was okay. But it seemed that she didn't even want to look at him: she just walked out of the observation lounge with Doctor Crusher. Maybe she again had a period of needing solitude, but he always managed to cheer her up at times like this.

"Data!" Geordi called for the third time seemingly getting irritated - or he already was, Data couldn't tell.

He turned to him frowning but heard her mother say "I'll wait for you on the Bridge."

He looked at her and nodded "Yes, Mother!" and she walked out after the others. He and Geordi remained alone.

Geordi looked at him expectantly, and he cocked his head trying to determine what his friend might be thinking.

"You're angry with me." he stated his observation after a moment.

And Geordi's temper snapped "You bet I'm angry at you! A court martial?! And you don't say a word?! I thought we were best friends! What the hell's wrong with you?!"

Of course, Data answered in the absolute literal sense: "Apparently, Starfleet thinks that based on the reports of Counsellor Troi during the time I was suffering from the after-effects of my abduction by the Borg, that the emotion-chip clouds my judgement and hinders my performance as a Starfleet officer. To a certain extent, I loath to say it, but I do agree."

"That's just crazy! You're a sentient being just as all of us. How can they expect you to just discard your emotions? I mean nobody can do that!"

Data shook his head a little puzzled at what Geordi said "My sentience was never in question during the hearings. It seemed that the problem was more of the fact that I never consulted anyone about making use of the chip. The court martial drew the analogy of an organic entity being put on a serious psychotic drug. Their performance then need to be reassessed, if they want to keep on serving in Starfleet and prior consultancy with the relevant departments is necessary as well. In my case, this would be the Cybernetics Division of the Daystrom Institute. I failed to meet both requirements. They judged this as a severe misconduct and breach of Starfleet rules and regulations."

"So what the hell? Just let them examine you and be done with it! That can't be a good enough reason for them to make you discard your chip just as if it was a piece of malfunctioning circuitry!" Geordi went on berserking.

"I did have examinations, Geordi. Mostly from psychological point of view. My results are very different compared to the ones produced by the last examination I took before the emotion-chip."

Geordi cut in "Of course they're different! You have emotions now for god's sake, of course your psyche doesn't work the same way as before! But don't tell me that the results were worse, because I refuse to believe that!"

Data went on on his calm voice "They were not necessarily worse. However, the differences between the two sets of results were significant enough to make the court martial doubt that I am worthy of the Lieutenant Commander rank or to serve as the Operations officer on the flag ship."

A shocked silence descended as Geordi couldn't do more than just gap at his friend. After a long moment, he shook his head disbelievingly and took a few steps away from him as if to distance himself of what he had just heard. He let out a long breath to calm himself - no use. He turned back to Data still agitated "So they just decided that you simply have to get rid of the one thing that causes the trouble, and all would be sunshine and happiness after that?!"

When Data answered, his voice was silent and very sad "No. The court martial ruled that I have to leave the Enterprise, and that I would be placed in a position with a lot less responsibility."

"What?!" Geordi breathed.

Data went on on the same wistful voice gazing only ahead "I didn't want to leave the Enterprise. I didn't want to give my whole life up. I offered that I could use the turn-off switch on duty. The court martial reluctantly conceded to the notion of applying a work-around. However, they argued that with the turn-off switch, there could be no guarantee that I wouldn't use the chip without the knowledge of my fellow officers. Captain Picard and Commander Riker were kind enough to bear testimonies in my favour stating that they would carry the responsibility of such an option. However, the court martial was not convinced. They wanted physical evidence that such a thing could never happen."

"So you proposed to make the chip removable?" Geordi asked on a shaken voice.

"I saw no other options." he looked at his friend and tried to smile "It'll be fine, Geordi. At least, better than leaving everything and everybody."

Geordi spread his arms frustrated and tried to find arguments against this whole, though he knew that it was utterly pointless: "What about the buffering effect of the chip? You always say that if you turn it off and then on again, you have a jumble of emotions to deal with suddenly as the chip processes all that's happened since it was turned off. What will you do when there's a mission that's days long - like the one you're going to now? You take it out, and when the mission's over, and you put it back, you get a nervous breakdown or what?!"

"I talked to Doctor Maddox about the effect and based on the schematics, he is convinced that the buffer of the chip can be reduced or even turned completely off. He will need to examine this problem, when he arrives here and prepares for the procedure."

Geordi paced slowly around the table shaking his head "Maddox. Was he in the court martial too? Was he the one who..."

"No." Data cut in, then turned up his palms, when Geordi finally looked at him from the window he was standing next to "Officially that is, I'm unaware of any influence he or the Daystrom Institute might have had on the course of decisions made by the court martial." he looked at his friend genuinely confused "What purpose would that have served him, Geordi?"

Geordi threw his hands up "I don't know! Like dissecting you to his liking the way he wanted to eight years ago?"

Data shook his head "No, Geordi. He wasn't even aware of the fact that I was court martialed until I notified him about needing some assistance with the procedure."

Geordi looked daggers at him which now really confused Data. The Chief Engineer stepped to him and looked into his eyes plainly hurt "Why do you need Maddox with this? I've been your physician almost from day one here on the Enterprise. I'm perfectly capable of doing what needs to be done, don't you trust me anymore?" he snorted "Stupid question. You didn't even trust me with telling me about the court martial." he shook his head seemingly very disappointed.

Data was really taken aback by this "Geordi." he called on a silent stunned voice "Of course I trust you. However, I was also aware of the fact that there was nothing you could have done for me during this court martial. There was no point in me burdening you with it. And as for the technological aspect of the issue. I do trust you in that too. You know I do. However the last time we talked about the removal of the chip, you seemed genuinely shocked about the idea. I didn't want you to find yourself in a situation, where our friendship would have to be in conflict with your values. I felt I would abuse your friendship, if I asked you to do something that I knew you would feel really bad about."

With this, all the irritation and hurt and anger that Geordi felt ever since the topic came up during the briefing dissipated into thin air. He bowed his head shutting his eyes then gazed up at his best friend once again "You wanted to protect me."

Data thought about it for a moment then nodded "In a manner of speaking, yes."

Geordi slouched and let out a long breath "Data... Friendship shouldn't be about that. We've been fairly open about everything with each other so far. If I had had a problem with doing as you asked, I'd have told you. You don't have to go to someone else just to avoid making me feel uncomfortable. You never had to tiptoe around me ever, you know that. Next time, please just ask." he winced "Well, I hope there would be no next time for such a request..."

"Me too." Data nodded and gave him a tiny smile. And after a moment, Geordi returned it.

The door opened, and Riker stepped in with a serious expression "If you can spare a moment, join the Captain in his ready-room. For a private tea-party." he added with a meaningful glance.

"Private tea-party? I do not believe..." Data asked with a confused frown cocking his head, but Geordi put a hand on his arm to stop his questions. It was plain that whatever the Captain wanted, it was for the ears of certain chosen people only.

Riker turned and left, and they followed him on his heals.

* * *

"I'm not satisfied with your performance so far on this mission, Picard." the Admiral told the Captain off-handedly and then sipped his tea sitting opposite the Captain in his ready-room. "Your personnel is disobedient and reckless. I do know Emma Stern - well, Jones now - from before, but it's your job to break her, now that she's under your command! And what do you do? Instead of putting her in her place, you give a gun in her hand by making empty promises."

The Captain crossed his legs sitting in his chair behind his desk, and steepled his fingers "I prefer getting my staff to do as I need them to do instead of using discipline. It might be not to your liking, Sir, but it has certainly worked well so far."

The Admiral snorted "It's not a matter of my taste, Picard. It's the way command dictates. They are here to follow orders not to question them or to ask any pesky questions about classified information." he mused sipping his tea.

The Captain leaned forward and clasped his fingers. He waited until the Admiral fixed his gaze on him and then looked straight into his eyes "Nevertheless, Admiral, the questions were valid. What is the real reason behind this sudden interest in the Epsilon Four colony? It's quite straightforward that it cannot be purely based on the humanitarian interest of the Federation. If it was so, there are colonies a lot more in need for some intervention. Turkana Four, for instance."

"It's classified, Picard. But if you look close on the starmaps, you might make an intelligent guess."

"I have, Sir." the Captain stood his gaze "The planet is located very close to the Neutral Zone. In fact, the senior staff is well aware of that. Has been since we have got our destination coordinates yesterday."

The Admiral leaned back in his chair "Well, Picard. Now, what do you need me for in telling you, why luring Epsilon Four to our side is so immensely important?"

The Captain frowned thoughtfully "The dilithium. Would the colony try to sell dilithium to Romulans? Even with their xenophobic ideology?" he asked incredulously.

The Admiral snorted, and his lips curved up in a creepy smile "In my view, these people are just crazy fanatics. I think they want to make contact with the Federation to sell the dilithium to US, humans! But if the negotiations fail on such hot-headed good-for-nothings as Lieutenant Jones, for instance, I'm sure, sooner or later the Epsilonians will figure out that they could sell the dilithium to others. The Orion Syndicate, and in worst case scenario, to the Romulan Empire as well! And I don't want to wait for that, Picard. With the shortage of dilithium we are facing, it would give the Romulans a tremendous tactical advantage!"

"But the colony is in Federation space! Even if the government of the colony sold the dilithium to them, given the fact that the colony does not possess warp-capable ships, collecting it by Romulan starships would be a severe breach of the Treaty of Algeron!"

"Don't be so naive, Picard!" the Admiral barked "If they sensed that they have a chance at laying their hands on a rich dilithium deposit, the Romulan Empire will treat the Treaty as nothing more than ink on a page! Besides, we wouldn't even know about it! We still can't detect their cloaked ships! Or have you missed this tiny piece of information on reading the last Federation communiqué about Romulan technology? We need to be a step ahead of them. At all times, Picard!"

The Captain glanced away trying to wrap his mind around the possibility of such a misconduct on the part of Romulans. They WERE power-thirsty, and their thirst of territory knew barely any boundaries. But to enter into Federation space on a regular basis... it was beyond belief even by Romulan standards.

"Well, Picard. Thanks for the tea." the Admiral put his cup on the Captain's desk and stood. The Captain stood too respectfully as the elder man added "I retire to my quarters now." then turning, he glanced back at the Captain from the door patronizingly "I hope by the time, we are to beam to the planet, I'll see a measure of obedience in your crew."

Picard's features remained as carved in stone as ever "Certainly, Sir." he told his superior dryly, and the older man left him alone. He didn't even have time to sit back in his chair when the door chime sounded.

"Come." he called, and Counsellor Troi stepped in "Deanna."

"May I have a word with you, Sir?"

* * *

The private tea-party commenced, when Riker got back with the last of the senior staff. They formed a circle: Deanna and Beverly sat on the couch, Riker and Geordi sat in the two chairs opposite the Captain's desk, and the Captain took his own seat at the desk, while Data remained standing in the corner.

"I hope you all sense that whatever we are to discuss here cannot leave this room." the Captain told them on a low voice. The others nodded their assent, and the Captain looked at Deanna "Counsellor, please." he motioned.

All eyes fixed on Deanna as she started to speak: "There are two very important things that I brought to the attention of the Captain a few minutes ago. The first one concerns the Admiral. Throughout the briefing, I felt that he was hiding something. Something vitally important."

The Captain took over "After the briefing, he told me that the Federation was concerned that the colony might sell dilithium to Romulans. This is why the mission is so important to succeed."

Deanna went on "However, this is not the thing that I felt he was keeping as a secret. Even through the jumble of emotions oozing from Lieutenant Jones, I could clearly feel the Admiral being scared. It was as if he would lose something very valuable, if we don't succeed. I think there is something more behind his emotions than the fact that Romulans might appear during this mission. His interest was more personal."

"What kind of personal interest could he possibly have in this mission?" Riker asked theoretically.

"I don't know." Deanna replied "But I wanted you to be aware of this fact... The other matter is of more personal nature to most of us... Lieutenant Jones was not completely sincere with us either during the briefing. She's hiding something too and is ready to lie about it even to us." she gazed up at Data "I'm sorry, Data." she told him on a soft voice.

"It's alright, Counsellor." he replied, and the last word died on his lips. He barely could conceal his distress in learning this as Deanna went on.

"She was scared throughout the briefing. At the mention of meeting her husband, her fear was palpable to all of you. However, there was something else too. When the Admiral asked her about the Resistance, she was lying when she said she'd known nothing about it or no one involved in it. I suspect she knows a lot more than she lets on, and her loyalties are divided if she were to choose between Starfleet or the Resistance."

"Well, Deanna. No wonder!" Beverly told them taken aback by what she was implying to "Think about it, for god's sake! She lived with the Resistance for years, they saved her, she is used to protecting them."

"I hate to say it, Beverly." Deanna looked at her apologetically "But it goes beyond that level." she looked around "She doesn't feel the same strong bond that we do towards Starfleet."

"She willingly admitted that fact to me in the brig today." the Captain added on a low voice.

"She feels a lot firmer connection with the Resistance... I don't think we can safely rely on her. I don't think the away team should rely on her down on the planet, because if you were to cross with the Resistance for any reason, she would choose them over Starfleet."

A shocked moment of silence descended on them, then Riker spoke up "Well, it turns out I was right, and the shrew WAS dangerous after all." Beverly looked daggers at him but then saw the crestfallen expression he had on. He massaged his neck growling "Ah, I never ever wished to be wrong more than now."

"No." Data's voice came hollow from where he was standing in the corner. They turned to him, and he straightened his back "You might have perceived emotions, Counsellor, that might have been true for the moment, when she was so distressed and agitated during the briefing. But I refuse to believe that she would do anything against us out of malice. She is a loyal Starfleet officer and a loyal friend." he looked at Beverly who locked gazes with him for a moment - her eyes reflected gratitude as he finished "I'd place my life in her hands without thinking twice."

"I suppose, Mr. Data," the Captain spoke up on a soft voice "there's no one in this room who doesn't understand your feelings." he sighed and leaning forward, steepled his fingers "A blind game of chess. That's how Ms. Jones described dealings with her husband and Epsilon Four. Well, it seems there are now at least four colors on the board. We will need to make sure that at least one of them remain our ally throughout this mission."


	12. Chapter 12

Data watched Emma sitting exhausted in her dressing room. She was still wearing the make-up and dress for Dreamland, which ended only a few minutes prior. He promised his mother, that they would go over to her quarters afterwards, but he suspected that the promise was too hasty. Emma had made it clear, that they needed to talk. And it seemed that what she intended to say required a longer time than the few minutes they had just before the performance. Data realized that Emma seemed to have taken offence for something: the way she walked out of the observation lounge without a backward glance at him, and during the play, she barely wanted to keep eye contact with him and the length of their kiss on the stage - it was the shortest ever since they had been performing Dreamland. The audience he was sure, could perceive nothing of this, but he knew. He could feel that she was upset with him. However, he couldn't figure out the exact reason she could feel resentment toward him. So finally, he decided that he would just try to cheer her up the way he would usually do if she was upset with someone else, and was hoping that maybe, it would alleviate her anger as well.

He walked to her and crouched in front of her taking her hand gently in his. When she raised her head to look into his eyes, however, her gaze remained hostile, even accusing. It made his heart sink, but he still had to try: "Are you not feeling better? At least a little?"

She kept on looking daggers at him then just pulled her hands away and pushing him out of her way, stood up. He stood too and looked at her puzzled.

She walked up to the wall - as if to be as far from him as she could - and turned to him with a hard expression "Did you know?"

He frowned puzzled "Did I know what?" he asked cocking his head. Emma snorted and threw her hands up taking a few paces aimlessly. He made an attempt at guessing what she might have been referring to "Did I know the destination of the mission?"

She turned back to him sharply at this "Did you?! Did you know, Deadpan, that we are going back to that hellhole?" she demanded, voice shaking.

"Of course I did." he told her taken aback by her accusing gaze "I'm the Operations officer of the ship, I'm required to be aware of our destination." he explained but remained just as confused as a moment ago about the reason for Emma's anger.

"So why didn't you say a word? Just one lousy word!" she asked desperately and clearly very disappointed in him.

He was beginning to feel just as desperate as she seemed "It was classified information, Emma! It still is. I couldn't say anything to you or any officer not included in the senior staff."

She shrugged and snorted "You know what? Fine. But at least you could have given me a heads up! Like: come on babe! Now would be as good a time to go on shore leave as any. Or something like that."

"Why would I have done that?" he asked puzzled.

"Because, Deadpan, then I wouldn't have been blackmailed into this mission!" she told him exasperated "For god's sake! What were you thinking my reaction will be when you learned about where we were going? Something like: oh, I don't need to say a word to Emma, let her be surprised?! Or what?!"

He could feel her frustration with him radiating from her in waves, but he tried to keep his voice as calm as he could - he couldn't get upset too, one of them needed to think clearly! "There was a fairly high chance that you would be upset learning our destination. However, I never suspected that you would be required to beam down with us to the planet! I thought you would be asked to advise us. And I thought that you would gladly do that to assist the mission. I never imagined you would react the way you did! You have to believe me that I haven't acted out of malice in not telling you this." he told her on a pleading voice.

Emma snorted "Yeah, well, I do believe that you are naive enough not to do this out of malice. And I believe you that you didn't know that Uncle Seth would want me down with the team." she shook her head "The problem is that I think you would have remained just as silent if you did know!"

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, and Data felt now really exasperated by what she was saying. He spread his arms helplessly "What would you have wished me to do, Emma? It was my duty to stay silent! We are Starfleet officers on a starship!"

"Well, to the hell with that!" she retorted "If I had to break some rules for you, I'd have done it. Moreover, I DID do it not so long ago. It seems your memory is not as good as one would expect!" she taunted.

He frowned now angrily "I don't believe that it involved even the slightest of dilemma for you to do that."

"Of course not! I cared about you, it was not a question that I would protect you! My priorities, Deadpan, are just fine! How about yours?!" she asked almost shouting.

"Your priorities have nothing to do with Starfleet duties!" he retorted just as furious as she was "It didn't take any effort for you to break rules for me, cause that's what you do! You keep trying to cross the line, trying to cross with your superiors. As if no rules applied to you at all! Well, to me they do apply."

"Sure and let's face it, they're a LOT more important for you than I am!" she chuckled bitterly "What was I thinking? That I could expect a measure of empathy?" she asked gazing away disappointed. Data was hit by the question as if a hard fist landed in his stomach. He gaped at her shocked, and Emma went on looking into his eyes "Did you have any idea whatsoever how I would feel about going back there? Has it ever crossed your mind that I would feel horrible about it? No, of course not. You just thought 'well, she would be a little upset but girls are like that so what the hell, it would just go away', didn't you?"

"No." he told her on a low voice "I was hoping I could console you. I was hoping that you would trust me enough to believe me, if I told you that I could protect you. And no harm could come to you as long as you're with me."

Emma shook her head with a bitter expression "You cannot know that. Not with Ed Jones around."

"But you did want me down with you on the planet! You just said so at the briefing! Whatever changed since then?!" he asked desperate, and completely lost in following her capricious logic.

"Do I have any other choice?!" she retorted "You're the only one having the slightest chance at protecting me, but believe me, there're no guarantees!"

"There are never guarantees, Emma! Duty involves facing danger sometimes. Don't tell me you were not aware of that! But I will do everything to keep you safe! Why isn't that enough for you? Why are you angry at me?!" he asked now just as upset as she was.

"Because you just kept silent! You decided for me. You took away all my control over the situation! And you lied. ...Even though our agreement." she looked straight into his eyes clearly disappointed.

"Duty required it, Emma. You're as much a Starfleet officer as I am. You have to understand." he told her pleading.

"Screw that 'Starfleet duty' bullshit already, because I'm fed up with it!" she snapped "What kind of duty required you to lie?!"

He felt his chest gripped by fury he rarely felt before at this "You're accusing me when you're just as to blame?!" he asked back raising his voice.

She looked at him questioningly "Wha?"

He stepped up to her and looked straight into her eyes "You did lie during the briefing, didn't you? About the Resistance. You do know a lot more that you told us." he told her what Deanna had told them a few hours ago.

She stood his gaze for a moment longer, then snorted with a wry smile and shook her head annoyed "I almost forgot there was a betazoid in the room." she stepped away to get away from his accusing gaze "Well, you know what Deadpan?" she turned back to him from the other end of the room and shrugged "I did feel horrible about not telling at least you all about it. But now that you're throwing all that into my face, you just managed to give me absolution. Thank you, Father Confessor!" she bowed a little in mock-gratitude theatrically.

"Stop being sarcastic about this!" he snapped "It is your duty to tell the truth, if your superiors ask it of you!" - how could she be so unbelievable ignorant about this?!

Her eyes flashed "So then court martial me, Commander! It's done now for every nuisance, isn't it?" she stepped closer staring into his eyes "For things like feeling pesky emotions, which hinders abilities, right? So what would be the big deal about doing it for some lying?"

"I never meant to threaten you with being your superior. But you have to be honest with us." he tried again to sound calm and patient, but he felt his chest was gripped by the pain he tried to stifle throughout the day over how the court martial treated him.

She snorted "Yeah, so telling you the name of the leader of the Resistance or where his location is would then be the fulfilling of my duty, right? Tell me, Deadpan, if Uncle Seth sells that information to my husband for some shit he wants to gain on this mission, and Ed has the last of the Resistance murdered, who would take that responsibility? You? Me? Who?" she demanded.

"It's not our duty to decide." Data tried again patiently "We have to trust the Captain in this, it's his place to make that decision. This is why he is our superior. He carries the responsibility. Emma, I don't want the Captain to consider you untrustworthy! The Counsellor told everybody that your loyalties are divided! You need to prove her wrong! Please!"

She suddenly laughed a forced laugh "Divided? Well, just for her to know. My loyalties are not divided at all!" she looked into his shocked eyes challengingly and then went on on a lower voice "...and if Starfleet and our superiors can be trusted as much as YOUR court martial indicates... I'd advise you to reconsider whom you trust in the near future." she taunted, but her voice broke on the last word.

"You're wrong in this..." he whispered.

"So then I'm wrong!" she snapped clearly showing her fear now "But at least I can try to protect myself instead of lying on my back and opening up my belly to the hungry vultures around me so that they could slaughter me down to their liking! Like SOME do... And I'm not planning to get dissected. Like SOME do... Just to prove my loyalties."

Data bowed his head "You really think I went along with the procedure just because of that?" he asked on a shaken voice.

Emma felt her heart break seeing him so lost and hurt "No." she breathed, and he looked into her eyes with such a painful expression that it made it very difficult for her to go on "I just think that you were blackmailed into this. And you trust them enough to believe that even dissecting you would be all okay, if duty required it."

"That is not true, Emma. Believe me!" he pleaded.

"Then prove me wrong!"

"How?! It would mean that I have to leave the Enterprise!"

"Then leave it!"

"And leave my friends?! Leave you?!"

"I'm not important in this equation!"

Data snorted and bowed his head before looking back into her eyes disappointed "Curious... I thought that you were one of the most important factors in the equation." he told her on a silent voice.

Emma felt tears of frustration run to her eyes "Don't tell me you're doing this for me, please just don't!" she told him on a shaky voice.

He stepped up to her and looked into her eyes determined "I'm doing it to retain what I already have. Yourself included."

She shook her head "I can't take this responsibility!" she told him on a hushed voice.

"I'm not asking you to." he took her hand reluctantly into both of his and gazed into her eyes "All I'm asking you is to accept my reasoning. And accept my decision. And stand by me."

Emma felt her heart was gripped by pain the same way he was gripping her hand. She gazed into his eyes - his beautiful, beautiful eyes - and just shook her head again "Stand by you and watch them commit a crime against you?" As she watched him bow his head and felt him let her hand go, she realized she would have to face the consequences of what she just uttered. And the consequences were just too horrible to face! She stepped away from him to hide the tears in her eyes "I had enough of this, it's a vicious circle! It never ends!" she walked over to her rack "I want to change." He remained standing there looking at her, and she frowned irritated "Alone."

He swallowed and nodded after a moment "Very well. Then we may continue our attempt at breaking the vicious circle at home."

"No." she told him on a firm voice and saw him standing there shocked as she went on "...I'm not going home... I'm not going to your place today."

He took a futile step toward her "So where will you sleep tonight?" he asked bewildered.

"My own place, Bev's place, I don't care! I want to be alone..." she told him tiredly and turned her head away.

A moment of silence descended over them like a poisonous cloud, and he realized he needed to make himself speak instead of just walking out on her "Very well. Good night to you." he whispered starting for the door when he heard her silent voice.

"What's happened to us in a day, Deadpan? Yesterday we were the happiest couple in lo..." she stopped before the word left her lips. She felt it to be a vain attempt at protecting herself by not saying the word. It seemed it didn't matter anymore, if she said it or not...

Data stood there feeling his emotions claiming all of his resources hearing her stop short before uttering the word. She is not going to say it! She is never going to say it wholeheartedly! He swallowed hard looking away "I cannot answer that..." he whispered. They stood there a moment longer in one small room but divided by a wall of desperation and doubt. "See you tomorrow." he told her and then left her alone to her tears.


	13. Chapter 13

After leaving the holodeck, Emma staggered to Beverly's quarters. She felt she was so exhausted by the day's events as if she had just finished a marathon. She felt so horrible that she wanted nothing but to simply collapse on Bev's couch and after complaining about the injustice of the universe, just cry her eyes out. She was hoping Bev could offer some alcohol - the real stuff and not synthetic - to speed up the process. She pressed the doorchime and waited, but nothing happened. She frowned, it was late, and the day was long for Bev too, where was she? She tapped her combadge.

"Jones to Crusher."

But it was the computer's voice that answered "The combadge of Doctor Crusher is currently in Do-Not-Disturb mode."

"Great. Is she in sickbay?" Emma asked grumbling.

"Doctor Crusher is currently in her quarters."

Emma's brows ran up her forehead "I beg your pardon."

"Doctor Crusher is..."

"I heard it, shut up, bitch!" she snapped irritated and examined the closed door for a few more moments "So. The grumpy Frenchman finally crossed the finish line. Swell! And no other day was good for screwing but the one, when I wanted to acquire the good doctor's attention for myself alone." she grumbled on "I'll need to kill Bev at least twice tomorrow for keeping secrets from me..." She sighed and walked off the corridor.

In the darkened bedroom, two pairs of eyes were staring at each other listening intently whether the intruder would try the doorchime again or they could continue with their activities undisturbed.

Emma walked on the corridor slouching. Yesterday night, she was the one who got her combadge placed in DND mode. And here she was now, all alone. As she walked into Ten Forward and found a place for herself to sit as far from everybody else as possible, she was already in the process of wrapping herself up in self-pity. Luckily enough, Ten Forward offered real alcoholic beverages too, not only synthehol. As she was drinking her third vodka-orange, she stopped fighting against recalling that unforgettable night. How attentive he was! How passionate! How tender! How gentle - but firm and decisive at the same time! It was all she ever dreamed of. And now... still a little sore and tired from their night together, she was sitting there all alone...

Was it worth it? Was it worth it to be right? What if he started doubting their relationship? Just because she couldn't get herself to accept his decision. But why couldn't he see how wrong it all was?! It was such a lousy reason to say that he was doing it to stay on the ship with her. It was wrong too. All the more so, that they'd been going out for only two months, and he never told her how he felt about her. It was just so uncertain... She swallowed the last of her drink. And then there was the question: did he actually love her? Was he able to love her? It was a very complex thing to feel after all, and his emotion generating chip gave him basic emotions only - at least this is how he explained it to her. Was this feeling beyond his capabilities? She sighed. It was always shocking to realize that he was not just simply a guy... She needed another shot!

"I'll have another one..." she mumbled holding her empty glass out to the waiter, stepping up to her table, not even looking up at whoever was standing next to her.

"The one thing that you need is some talk." she heard a familiar voice and raised her head to meet Guinan's kind gaze with her hazy one.

Emma stared into her dark eyes for a long moment then a chuckle blurted through her lips "Ya like listenin' to complaining, don't ya? Alright! I tell you how horrible the universe is. And how pitiful I am in it. Come, come." she patted the couch next to her, taunting even herself and a forced laugh escaped her.

Guinan smiled and shook her head "No. I had another person in mind for you to talk to. Someone who could actually answer the questions that are eating away at you." she told her and moved away a little, so Emma finally could spot Juliana standing a few steps from them, watching them.

Emma imagined Data learning about her getting drunk and talking nonsense from his own mother and felt panic gripping her "Oh, no! No way! It's bad enough that I'm drunk, but I can't talk to HER like this!" she pleaded, but Guinan just smiled her sinister smile and motioned for Juliana to sit next to Emma. The elder woman stepped up to the table, and as she locked gazes with Emma, Guinan discretely took the younger woman's glass from the table in front of her, and walked off.

Juliana sat next to Emma and smiled at her ruefully "I'm sorry this mission upsets you this much. But I think I can understand you. There are a few places I wouldn't want to go back to ever again in my life." she told her remembering how the colony on Omicron Theta was destroyed.

"It's not just that..." Emma shook her head not having the strength anymore to keep up the façade of the strong Amazon she always tried to, and all her troubles just flooded out of her "I'll have to meet my husband and believe me, if I next saw that man only in hell, that would be too soon. But if that wasn't enough, everybody around me kept silent about where we are going! Everybody! And on top of that, there's this court martial! Data never even mentioned it. He never even gave the slightest sign of having any kind of trouble. If I have to think back on our last two months together, he always seemed so happy, so carefree. And it turns out that he was fighting for his life!" she shook her head tiredly again "We had a huge fight about it all... I don't even know how we will go on... Yesterday, my biggest concern was that I wasn't sure if the guy I love loves me in return - and now? My whole life just fell apart..." she put her forehead into her palm as she propped herself up on the table.

"You'll find a way to go on, if both of you want this relationship the way you seemed to yesterday." Juliana told her on a soothing voice, but Emma just glanced at her disillusioned. Juliana took the younger woman by the shoulder and turned her to her smiling comfortingly "Emma, there are ups and downs. Sometimes, you fight. Don't be afraid of that."

Emma shrugged "I know that. I've been married for ten years..." she sighed recalling her past two months with him "But it was just so different with him. So completely different. It was like a dream. I thought... I thought it was never going to end." she sighed again ruefully.

"It cannot end because of one single fight, Emma. No relationship does."

"No, but..." she bowed her head almost ashamed, and Juliana was hit by the realization.

"You have doubts." she whispered stunned.

After a long moment, Emma nodded. She didn't dare to look up at the elder woman as she started to talk "The time we spent together... was so wonderful... What if... what if this was just something preset, predefined... something that wasn't him but... somebody who programmed what he is like... And what if that has its limits..."

Juliana took a moment to understand her confused sentences "You're asking whether Data was programmed to fall in love?" she asked finally.

Emma looked at her and swallowed hard "Can he actually fall in love? Or was he only programmed to seem that way? Can he feel the emotion?"

Juliana gazed away thoughtfully to give a proper answer to her question. Then looked back into her expectant eyes "Well, he was programmed to emulate certain behavioural patterns, Emma. To try to copy how others acted around him until he finally could understand WHY people acted one way or the other and could decide on how to act in a certain situation himself. There ARE certain predefined human idiosyncracies programmed in him, like the need to settle down with one woman instead of womanizing, or to pursue creative activities, or his sexual orientation. Those are things that are predefined, yes." she looked into Emma's eyes and smiled reassuringly "But we never programmed him to deceive you into believing that he loves you. If he seems to love you, that is most probably because he does love you. You don't need to doubt him. You mean a lot to him, that's plain to see. Believe me, Emma, I've never seen my son more human than last night when the two of you sat there at the dinner table with me... and looked at each other with that gaze."

Emma bowed her head trying to wrap her mind around what she heard - but she could barely wrap her mind around anything right now. Juliana saw that too and gently took her hand "You should go home and sleep, my dear."

Emma raised her head sharply at this "No! I won't! If I do, I'll have to say 'sorry', but first he has to say 'sorry'! And then I can too. But not before that!" she shook her head stubbornly like a child.

Juliana chuckled softly "Just the way Noonian and I was on Terlina. There was a full week, when we didn't even say a word to each other after a fight." Emma looked at her curiously though her gaze was still a little hazy as Juliana went on "He thought he was right! And I thought I was right! - I don't even remember the topic! But we were stubborn as a mule! Finally, one of his experiments went wrong, and we had to put out a small fire together. Afterwards, we just laughed at the whole stupidity." she gazed away smiling.

Emma listened to her propping her chin on her hand "You miss him, don't you?" she blurted without thinking.

Juliana looked at her as if waken from a dream and realizing that her recalled memory had a witness. After a moment, she nodded wordlessly.

Emma sighed "He must've been an extraordinary man if you still love him so much. After so many years." she went on musing.

Juliana smiled ruefully "Well, I won't take offence now for your pointing out my age, your slightly intoxicated state is a good excuse for being blunt." she joked then nodded "He was. He was..." she shook her head "There's no one like him. No one even in the vicinity."

Emma raised her head from her hand and cocked her head curiously "Not even your second husband?" she pried on - it seemed that all of her restrains left her with the effect of alcohol.

But Juliana seemed honest in not taking offence for her bluntness. She thought about it for a moment then decided that Emma was the one person she could completely be honest with "No, not even him..." she told her on a silent voice "And you know what the strangest of it all is? ...Ever since Pran died, I've felt a terrible loss. But slowly, I realized it wasn't for Pran. ...It's horrible to say it. But it's not for the husband I lost only months ago. It's for Noonian. And as time passes by, I'm missing him more and more. As if it was slowly dawning on me that we can never make up for all the lost years. As if I hadn't been able to grief for him, years ago, when I learned that he was... he was gone... and now it's coming back to haunt me."

After a moment of silence, Juliana felt two arms clasped firmly around her, and she smiled as she returned Emma's sudden embrace. Emma cried softly into the elder woman's shoulder "I'm so sorry..." she sniffed "I wish I could give your lost love back!" she moaned, and Juliana felt a little embarrassed by her sudden outburst of emotion as the younger woman started to talk "I wish I could get my own lost love back! I feel the same as you do, ya know? That there's no one like him! No one, you know? And I'm screwing it up! I'm screwing it up because I'm just so afraid." she pulled away a little wiping her eyes and looked into Juliana's eyes really desperate "I'm so scared of going there! I'm scared for everybody! What if something happens to one of us on that planet? What if something happens to HIM on that planet? What if Ed realizes that we are a couple, and he takes revenge? And I was the one who was so selfish that I brought him down there! I could have told him the same as I did to Deanna, that he should stay aboard the Enterprise, but I just can't go there alone! I can't even think about going there without him! ...I should do something to save all of us from this! I should just hijack the Enterprise and turn it around as long as we can escape!" Juliana could feel from her words that alcohol definitely took its toll on Emma's logical thinking. The younger woman took her hand and gazed into her eyes determined "Come on! You could help me! The Captain is screwing Bev now anyways, no one would notice if we went there and took over the ship!" she started to stand up, but Juliana pulled her back into the chair.

"No, no, Emma!" Juliana told her a little embarrassed "Stay here with me. Let's talk more."

Emma sighed "You don't believe me, do ya?" she asked disappointed.

"I do, I do believe you. I just..." Juliana had to think quickly to say something believable enough to make the younger woman stay with her instead of walking up the Bridge drunk and trying to get the helmsman to do as she wanted to. "Look... I haven't had a chance to talk about these things with anybody. I left my friends on Atrea and haven't had the time to make new friends on Earth yet. It's good to talk to somebody so honestly as I can talk to you." and she was surprised to find that her makeshift excuse was actually true.

Emma seemed to reconsider her plans for tonight at that. She then squeezed the elder woman's hand "I'll stay with ya. And I'll listen to you. You can tell me whatever ya like!" she told her attentively, and Juliana glanced away with an embarrassed smile - now what?

* * *

Beverly walked on the corridor to Data's place feeling very guilty. She knew it was Emma who rang the doorchime two hours ago, and she knew she should have been there for her - she must have felt horrible. But now she was gonna make it right. Even if Emma would be angry, she'd put up with it and would comfort her.

She pressed the doorchime and heard Data's voice saying 'come' as the door slid open. She stepped in and saw Data holding Spot close while sitting at his desk. Seeing her walking through the door, he instantly stood, letting Spot go on the floor. As he stepped up to her, she was stunned to see the profound sadness reflected in his eyes. She was struck by the thought that, though he had no outward physical sign of it, he seemed to have been crying!

"Doctor Crusher." he greeted her on his usual silent voice "What can I do for you?"

"I came to talk to Emma, but-"

"She's not here." he cut in "She wanted to be alone. She said she would sleep over at your place or would go back to her own quarters. Since you're here looking for her, I suppose she went home."

"It's easy to find out." she smiled at him and raising her head a little, she asked "Computer. Locate Lieutenant Emma Jones."

"Lieutenant Jones is at Ten Forward." the computer replied.

Beverly winced at that "Knowing her, she's not having a simple syntheholic party. I better check on her."

Data nodded concerned "Please, take care of her, Doctor." he told her on such a low voice that she barely heard him.

Beverly nodded and started for the door. After a few steps, she stopped and turned back to see his expression once again. He stood there forlorn as if loneliness wrapped around him like some thick coat. Beverly walked back to him and touched his arm. He looked at her confused, almost shocked at the touch.

"You had a fight, didn't you?" Beverly asked knowing the answer already.

Data seemed thoughtful for a long moment then looked at her cautiously "I'm reluctant to talk about it, Doctor. I'm not sure how she would react if she learned that I talked to you about our problems."

"Forget about that for a moment, and just talk to me..." she told him stroking his arm gently, he bowed his head timidly, and she pushed him on "Data, I've barely ever seen you so sad and even... tired before. I don't want to leave you here just like that." she told him on a soft voice, and he could hear how concerned she was.

Data looked into her eyes questioningly "You know I cannot get tired, Doctor."

Beverly nodded "Exactly this is why I'm worried for you, Data." she slid her hand down his arm and took his hand gently in hers.

He bowed his head, and Beverly waited for him to talk. Finally, he raised his head, and she could see tears in his eyes "I tried to do the right thing. And now the two most important people in my life are angry at me and are very disappointed in me. And I cannot see where I erred. I keep asking myself what I should have done differently..."

"Did they tell you why they're angry at you?"

He sighed and wiped his face embarrassed. He decided to talk about the less painful part: "Geordi is angry because I didn't tell him about the court martial. And that I asked Doctor Maddox to do this procedure instead of him..." he shrugged a little "It seemed he forgave me but... I just don't see how I should have acted. I really don't think he would have been happy doing this procedure, yet he is now disappointed that I didn't ask him! I really don't understand!" he told her frustrated.

She squeezed his hand in hers "He feels you shut him out, and he couldn't stand there with you at the court martial, and he couldn't stand up for you the way a best friend does." she smiled at him comfortingly "He would want to protect you the same way you try to protect him."

He sighed and looked at her a little stubborn "If he wants to protect me because that's what best friends do, why is he angry at me for doing the same thing for him?"

Beverly smiled at this and shook her head "I think Geordi is more frustrated than angry, Data. You see, I felt some frustration too on hearing about your court martial. But I understand that you didn't want to talk about it. And I respect your wish. Believe me, Geordi does too. But it's difficult to accept the decision the court martial made. We all care about you. It's difficult to stand by and watch the one thing you wanted all your life taken away from you." her silent voice just drew more tears to his eyes, and he wiped his face with his hand once again.

"I know you care about me." he whispered "This is why I want to go along with the procedure. Because I want to stay on board. This is where I belong! The Enterprise is my home, and you are my family. I don't want to leave... I don't think Emma understands this. She needs to fight everything." he confessed his own disappointment finally bowing his head.

She squeezed his hand again "Oh, don't think that Emma doesn't see these things as clearly as you and I do! She does understand. But she cannot stand being the passive observant in any situation. Eventually, she will realize that you need her now to accept your decision and support you in going along with it."

Data shook his head "No. You haven't seen her, Doctor Crusher. She was beyond furious. And not only because of my decision. But because of the mission as well. I will be very surprised, if she ever wants to come home to me."

"She blamed you for not telling her about where we're going." Beverly concluded the basis of Emma's anger.

"Yes, she did. What should I have done, Doctor? It was my duty to keep silent about all the details of the mission. So what should I have done?" he asked her really puzzled again.

Beverly shook her head "Just what you actually did. You know, Emma sometimes tries to evaluate her relationships by testing the people involved. And these tests are easy to fail. I failed it as much as you did, Data. Don't think that I won't be in for trouble." she chuckled wryly "But she will need to understand that it's not fair to make her loved ones choose between their duty and their love for her. It just doesn't work that way. And you must not feel guilty about doing your job."

"Why does she do this, Doctor? What is the point in testing somebody in a way that makes him or her almost certainly fail?" he asked taken aback.

Beverly winced slightly "It's not the easiest thing to explain. But if somebody is so untrusting as Emma, she would eventually not only expect people to betray her, but actually she will make them betray her. In a way, this is laziness. It's a lot easier to regard the world to be an unfriendly, untrustworthy place instead of evaluating everything and everybody in it for what and who they are. We, you and I, and her other friends on the Enterprise fall out of the unfriendly nature of the world. We are anomalies. She sometimes needs to convince herself that we are just as untrustworthy as everybody else. It makes her feel safe." she almost seemed a little taunting.

"But that's completely illogical, Doctor!" Data gaped.

"No, Data. She feels that's the only way she can protect herself. If nobody is trustworthy, she can keep her guards up all the time. It's safer than to let you or me in. The catch is that she already let us in. She may try to scare us away all she wants, we are already there. And in the morning, she will regret that she fought with you. You're too important for her now to simply let you go just because she needs to be right."

"I wish I was as optimistic about it as you are." Data hang his head disillusioned.

"Oh, come on! Why are you two doing this?" she asked frustrated, but she was smiling as Data looked at her questioningly. She went on "In the morning, I have to convince her that you love her, in the evening I have to convince you that she loves you. Why don't you just say it to each other instead?"

Data gaped at her "She really..." he started disbelievingly, but suddenly his combadge went off.

"Ten Forward to Commander Data" they heard Guinan's voice coming through the channel.

They looked at each other surprised, frowning as Data pressed his combadge "Data here."

"Hi! There's a girlfriend for you to collect at my bar."

Data gaped bewildered, and they exchanged worried glances with Beverly "Is she alright?" he asked finally.

"Oh, she's fine. But sleeping in a bed would be more comfortable for her than sleeping on a table."

Data looked really shocked as he blinked a few times then nodded "I'm on my way, Guinan. Please take care about her till I arrive."

"Will do that. Have done so far. Take it easy. Ten Forward out." Guinan finished, and Data and Beverly strode out of his quarters wordlessly.


	14. Chapter 14

Data pulled the blanket over Emma's sleeping body as she turned to her side and reached out towards his pillow, looking for him moaning softly. She finally settled for burying her face into his pillow instead of him, and he sat down next to her on the bed to watch her sleep. He was reluctant to bring her to his own quarters, but his mother and Doctor Crusher convinced him that the one place she felt most secure was with him, so he brought her home from Ten Forward, already sleeping from the alcohol she'd consumed that night.

He watched her sleep. Time passed by slowly as he watched her chest heaving and listened to her soft breathing. Sometimes, he raised a hand almost as a second nature to stroke her hair or to take her hand in his. But he realized it would have been wrong and he would always stop mid-motion. The last time they had physical contact without being upset with each other was in the morning. The time that had passed since then was short by human standards for sure, but for him, it felt like three eternities and ten minutes. It was amazing how much he craved after touching her! The physical aspect of their relationship had always been one of the most important things they experienced together, but after last night, he felt that being without it resembled to what torture might be like for an organic being.

Spot jumped up the bed, and he could see her yellow gaze staring at him expectantly in the semi-darkness.

"No, Spot. I'm not sleeping with you two tonight. Just be a good cat and lie down, please." he asked her on a hushed whisper.

Instead of obeying, she climbed into his lap and purring, she took some circles before she found the most comfortable scooping position to sleep in. He gently stroked her fur until she fell asleep. He recalled cuddling his cat lying next to his love the night before, and he also recalled the contentment and happiness he'd felt in that amazing moment. It was in sharp contrast with the loneliness he felt now. Even though that the room was the same, the bed was the same, Spot and Emma were the same, something was very much out of place, and he couldn't think of anything but himself to be different.

In the last few weeks, he'd tried to keep his personal life apart from his professional life, so he could enjoy each and every moment of the former despite the troubles he had to face in the latter. And it was worth it! Every single moment, when Emma smiled at him so lovingly, every single kiss she had given him, every hug, every caress, every teasing was a reminder for him, that whatever was going on outside their happy home was irrelevant! These tender moments were the ones that really mattered! Those were the moments that made it worth it to make the sacrifices necessary to elongate the time they had together!

It was worth it up until the moment, he realized that Emma did not appreciate the effort at all. Moreover, she was disappointed. She'd expected him to behave very differently from the way he actually had, and he knew he had to understand the source of that disappointment, if he wanted to resolve the conflict between them. Because he wanted to. He needed to... So he decided that instead of wrapping himself up in despair, he would dedicate most of his resources to finding the reasons in the night ahead.

* * *

Emma woke slowly to the faint light coming from the other room. She blinked sleepily for a few moments, then sat up gingerly, eyes still half-closed, and when she finally realized that her head was about to fall apart, she buried her face in her palms with a soft moan.

"Here, this will help in alleviating your head ache." she heard Data's voice from above her, and as she took her hands away from her face startled, she saw him holding a glass full of some clear liquid out to her.

She took it and drank a few gulps. She sighed as the pain-killer took effect, and she felt better in a few moments. She looked around curiously "So. I did end up in your bed after all." she remarked raising an eyebrow.

"I needed to watch over you during the night." he answered on a silent voice.

She looked up into his eyes, and her mouth twitched into a challenging smile "No touch, only watched?"

However, Data was not in the mood for her teasing, and he stepped away from the bed "I thought you knew me better than to ask such a question."

"I was just joking..."

He glanced back from the doorway "I'm no expert, but I can tell you, it wasn't one of your brightest attempts at humour." he told her and went out to the workspace area.

Emma rolled her eyes and putting the glass down on the bedside table, she jumped up from the bed, and after steadying herself from her head-rush, she went after him. He was giving some food to Spot and stroked the cat as she was eating.

She watched him for a moment longer as he was crouching there with the cat so preoccupied and finally decided to just give up her pride and apologize "Could you just stop sulking, so that I could say sorry?" He raised his head, then stood. She walked up to him and went on gazing away embarrassed "I was stupid. I was angry at everybody and everything. And I took it out on you." she shrugged and grimaced still a little stubbornly "Not that I wouldn't have appreciated you telling me where we were going, but..." she looked up at him again and shrugged once more "I understand why you didn't."

He glanced away and thought back to what Doctor Crusher had told him yesterday. She seemed to be right. "I'm glad you came to terms with it." he nodded and stepped away from her.

He put on his uniform top and started to do the fastenings.

Emma rolled her eyes and felt herself becoming angry again at his sulking "I said I'm sorry, what else do you want me to do, Data? Kneel in front of you and pray to the god of cybernetics for forgiveness?" He finished buttoning his uniform top and just gazed into her eyes without saying a word. It was the kind of expression she came to know to be so neutral, that she could project literally any emotion to it - now she saw accusation and pain and disappointment. It made her heart sink. No. No, please just don't! Don't say you're having doubts now! She stepped up to him and gazed into his eyes pleading - pride forgotten "Please, just let's talk! Please!"

Data's expression softened a little, but then he gazed away regretfully "I wish I had the time. However, I have to go to meet Doctor Maddox at the transporter room." and he started for the door.

She couldn't hide the shock in her voice as she called after him "You do go along with this, don't you?"

Data sighed now impatiently as he turned back "What other choice do I have, Emma?"

She stepped up to him again "Refuse this! Defy them, don't let them dissect you!" she asked him pleading.

"Don't you understand?! I'd have to leave the Enterprise!" he retorted.

"And does it worth it to stay on board under such conditions?" she asked desperately.

"It is worth it to stay with the people I regard as my family!" he repeated his one reason he held on to as if his life depended on it.

She shook her head getting really upset with him being so passive about this "Why don't you at least try to fight this? I can't believe you are going into this without at least protesting!"

"I fought it. Captain Picard fought it. We failed. The court martial made a decision. I chose to go along with it. There's nothing to fight anymore..."

"But can't you see how unfair this is?!" she cut in "Nobody else is asked to stop feeling emotions just because it may cloud our judgement! It's nonsense! How can they ask you to do it? How can you just agree on forgetting about the one thing you always wanted?!" she asked now demandingly.

"I'm not nobody else, Emma."

"But..."

"You keep thinking about me as if I was a human! I am not a human!" he cut in raising his voice - her eyes reflected utter shock as he went on on a softer voice "I am an android, Emma. A machine... And I'm very grateful to you that you try to keep up a wonderful illusion by considering me a human. Nobody has ever done this for me, and I was very happy losing myself in it. However... it is still only an illusion." he instinctively raised his hand to touch her but stopped in the motion and dropped his hand to his side as he went on on a low, rueful voice "I wish it wasn't. I wish I was the person you see in me."

"You are!" she breathed feeling a catch in her throat.

"No, I'm not." he shook his head wistfully "You were right yesterday. I have serious gaps in my knowledge and ability of empathy. You want to face it or not, it is precisely because I am a machine. I thought about this all night. I think you were so angry at me, because you really think of me as a human. And a human would never have let you down the way I did. It was a harsh proof that made you realize the fact that I'm not a human... and maybe even the fact that I never will be." he gazed into her desperate eyes for a long soul-searching moment then swallowed hard "I wish you could accept that. But ...you'll have to decide that for yourself." he whispered "I'll see you later." he said goodbye and was gone a moment later.

"Yeah..." she breathed as the door slid shut after him and she remained in his room so terribly empty without him that her heart broke.


	15. Chapter 15

Data was still preoccupied by their conversation with Emma, when he stepped over the threshold of transporter room 3. She'd seemed so desperate, so taken aback by what he'd told her that he was beginning to doubt that he had reached the right conclusion in his over-night analysis. However, he needed to push the thought-process to the background for now, because Doctor Bruce Maddox materialized in front of him on the transporter pad.

The two men looked into each other's eyes for a long moment. They hadn't met for eight years in person, and though they regularly exchanged subspace messages, meeting each other in person was a more dramatic experience than either of them expected.

"Data." Maddox smiled a friendly smile as he stepped down the pad and extended his hand.

"Doctor." Data nodded and accepted his offered hand. He was surprised by the profound fear of this man's touch that was generated by his emotion-chip. It was almost as if it was triggered in response to a primal urge of self-preservation no matter how well he knew that he had nothing to fear anymore. His sentience was proven eight years ago, the Federation accepted it as well. No man in the universe could hurt him without the prospect of facing the same consequences as if he hurt an organic sentient being. And yet... well, these were the moments, when he thought living without emotions was by far easier than living with them.

Maddox let his hand go and looked over him smiling - Data never appreciated that look on the Doctor's face, not when they met eight years ago on the bridge of the Enterprise-D, and certainly not now. However, now he was able to assign a feeling to that sensation: he felt very uncomfortable by his look, as if he was a piece of food put on display for people to choose and consume - or a slave in a slave-market to be bought... - Stop it! he told himself, You're being perfectly unreasonable!

"How are you, Data?" the Doctor asked kindly.

"Fine, Sir, thank you. And you?" Data answered politely, and Maddox' face lit up.

"Your response is a lot more natural than it used to be." his lips curled up in a smile again, and his eyes shone with excitement "From your messages, I could judge the rate of your development. But to see it so closely... it's remarkable!" he whispered the word awed.

Data was not sure how to respond to that. He glanced away embarrassed "Thank you, Sir. I suppose..." he added on a low voice then looked back at him "I'll show you to your quarters."

"Ah, let's not waste any time with that, Data! Let's go to the lab right away."

In a few minutes, Data was sitting in the lab hooked up to the computer by an optic cable, and Maddox was downloading his diagnostic logs to his padd standing next to him.

"Your emotion-chip generated a lot more logs in the last two months than before that. Not counting the first few months when you've started to utilize it, of course." Maddox remarked looking closely at the data appearing on his padd.

"I'm aware of the change, Sir." Data replied silently.

"It's remarkable that it's possible to measure your feelings even by the amount of generated logs. I wonder if there's a preset threshold above which the magnitude of the feelings cannot go." the Doctor mused pressing some buttons on the pad to make it yield some statistics.

"The chip can overload, as I have mentioned in my subspace message of stardate 48651.7, Sir. Therefore, it is conceivable that there is a threshold like the one you suggest." Data told him matter-of-factly. He watched the cyberneticist so deeply wrapped up in his work still with some measure of fear. Apart from Geordi and Doctor Crusher, in the last years, he hadn't let anybody else to examine him. When he'd invited Maddox, he hadn't expected that the doctor's presence would trigger such emotions in him. Maybe he should have asked Geordi to be present during the examination - but he just didn't want the tension that this topic generated to grow between them.

After a few moments of staring at his padd, Maddox raised his head "Hmm... Let me see the schematics of the circuits around the chip."

"You may download that as well, Sir, by accessing the diagnostic service of the chip." Data offered on as a professional voice as he could muster "The diagram highlights circuits generated recently. I believe there will be some difference compared to the diagram I've sent to you four weeks ago."

Maddox frowned perplexed as the diagram appeared on the padd's display "Hmm, some difference!" he pressed a few buttons and made the diagram appear on the large display of the computer console next to them "Look at this, Data." he called on a stunned voice. Data gaped too in surprise seeing the display.

There were dozens of highlighted newer circuits around the emotion-chip and at least a hundred older ones. They ran out and about the chip forming nodes at places. "The chip is designed to evolve, Doctor. For this reason, it seems it is capable of forming new nodes in my neural net that would serve as sub-processors to aid it." Data said on a stunned voice.

"Were you aware of this behaviour, Data?" Maddox asked curiously looking at him.

"Not until now, Sir." Data shook his head looking only at the screen.

Maddox furrowed his brows confused "This just doesn't make sense to me, Data. These nodes" he pointed to the screen where the circuits ran together to form small centers "they look just like any other sub-processors that you have. On their own, your sub-processors are not capable of generating emotions. So how can they give any kind of aid to the emotion-chip? Have you ever realized that the chip can use normal sub-processors in this way?"

Data gazed away thoughtfully "Well... I experience the effect. The more circuit patterns lead to my emotion-chip, the more emotions I'm able to feel and experience. And their magnitude change too. However, I do not understand the mechanism behind this behaviour myself, Doctor."

The cyberneticist seemed to consider all of this for a few moments then looked into Data's eyes with a very professional look on his face "I will need to examine this more thoroughly before we go on with the procedure that the court martial requested. I don't intend to hinder this capacity to evolve that the chip shows in any way by doing the procedure without proper preparation. It might take a day or two to do a full analysis. I'm sorry."

Data nodded and tried not to show how relieved he was "It is perfectly alright, Doctor. I am not in a hurry."

Maddox nodded understandingly "I know it's not YOU who is in a hurry about this procedure." he helped Data unhook from the computer, and the android closed the service door on his head. He pushed his fingers through his hair to tidy it and stood. Maddox stepped up opposite him and looked into his eyes "I want you to know that I don't agree with the decision of the court martial. It's unjust. You ARE sentient, and you have as much right to feel emotions as any of us."

Data nodded in gratitude and felt his guards lower a little - it was perfectly unreasonable to feel any kind of fear or hostility towards this man because of events that transpired eight years ago. He knew that rationally, though after utilizing his chip two years prior, he had finally been able to process the events of that devastating legal hearing emotionally as well, and he needed to make a conscious effort of not showing his all-consuming fear and even hatred in his subsequent subspace messages to the doctor. It was a very difficult process. But now, it seemed that under the friendly helpfulness of the cyberneticist, slowly his emotions conceded to start trusting this man.

"Thank you, Doctor." he told him on his silent voice.

Maddox then gazed away as if considering a topic he seemed very uncomfortable to bring up "What if..." he looked into Data's golden eyes with his cold blue gaze "What if I could try to help?"

"To help, Sir?" Data frowned "In what fashion?"

"I might be able to ...to call in a few favors from high ranking officers, who might be able to call in a few favors themselves... It might, MIGHT be just enough to turn the tide in your favor, Data, and change the decision of the court martial." Maddox's eyes shone with a strange determination - very similar to what Data saw vividly in his memories of eight years ago - and the fear that Data'd just dismissed returned right away.

He frowned confused and cocked his head "I... My ethical programming is strongly against favoritism, Doctor. Although it is true that I would be very glad, if the decision of the court martial could be reversed."

Maddox smiled eagerly "Oh, Data, it would not be favoritism at all! As I have told you, it's rather doing some favors to old acquaintances and friends. Do you understand it now?" he asked, and Data did understand that there was an added meaning in that sentence. Maddox expected something from him.

"I am unsure what I might give you in return, Doctor." he admitted, but his heart now pounded like a drum in his chest, and he barely any time felt as frightened as now.

Maddox gazed away with a grim expression "You know my last attempt at recreating Doctor Soong's work failed."

"I know." Data whispered - would he want to disassemble me the same way he did eight years ago?! That would make no sense! He knows I would not go along with it!

Maddox went on with a shaken voice "It was the twelfth android I lost in three years. It's as painful to watch them die after such a short life as it was for you to watch your own attempt at creating an offspring suffer a cascade failure."

Data's heart lurched as all his memories of Lal flooded his mind as if they'd happened only a minute ago. How she held his hand, how she went away telling him she loved him - and how he was not able to requite her love. Lal...

Maddox went on, and his frustration was palpable "It's all because the model I use is not complete. Not perfect. Not perfect enough!" he looked into Data's eyes again now really determined "I NEED a guide! I need to see what makes your brain stable while all other attempts fail."

Data felt now really upset. The fear this man triggered, the memories of Lal... he felt he reached his limits in dealing with so many strong emotions! He shook his head swallowing hard "I do not believe I can help you in that, Doctor. As I have told you eight years ago. I am willing to assist you. But only when you're ready. With all due respect, I do not think you are ready, Sir."

Maddox' lips curled up into a nervous smile "Data. You misunderstand me. I don't require YOU to be my guide."

Data frowned utterly puzzled "Who else could..." he started and then gaped as the realization hit him "Lore... You want me to give you Lore..." he whispered shocked.

Maddox nodded "Precisely." seeing Data's shock, he went on "Look, Data. Lore was a criminal. A murderer. It was responsible for hundreds of lives taken."

Data shook his head in firm denial "Though these statements are true, Sir, he is still my brother. And he is not dead! Merely deactivated. Therefore I cannot let you simply dissect him!"

Maddox went on, his hands came up into fists as he tried to convince the hard-headed android "It's not sentient, Data! It never was! It's just the result of an experiment going terribly wrong! I'm convinced that Doctor Soong never intended to create the monster Lore has become!"

Data took a few paces to distance himself from the other man and looked back at him from the opposite console "Doctor Maddox, my Father was in great pain because of how Lore turned out! However, he wanted to make everything right for him! He wanted to fix him. However, he never had the chance."

Maddox just couldn't give up, he stepped up to him and tried again "Look, Data! If I can understand Doctor Soong's work thoroughly, I might be able to fulfil his wish, and I might be able to fix Lore."

Data shook his head "I cannot gamble with my own brother, Doctor! Especially not for my own interests!"

"Don't you see, Data? It would be mutually good for all parties involved! You might get your emotions back full time, I get my guidance, and your father's wish might be fulfilled. Even Lore could have a chance at a new life. Don't tell me this doesn't sound appealing to you!"

"Doctor Maddox, all of what you're proposing sound intriguing. As ever. However, I cannot see you considering what might happen if your proposal has a negative outcome. What if something goes wrong? What if you never reach your goal, and your ministrations render Lore into a state beyond repair? How can either of us deal with our conscience then?" he asked trying hard to sound as rational as possible - and hide how upsetting it all was!

"Data. I tell you again. Lore is not a sentient being! It's only the product of an ill-fated experiment. There's nothing to feel bad about even if I don't succeed! But believe me, I WILL succeed! Once I get my guidance, I know I will! Why aren't you looking at the positive outcome of my proposal? We could give Lore a chance to be a sentient being just like you! We are giving it an opportunity!"

Data's hands came up into fists, and his eyes blazed with fury "Maybe Lore's sentience was never proven as mine was. But he IS sentient. As my Father told us, we are virtually identical, except for a bit of programming. When Lore was activated, he had feelings. Tangled with ambition so much that he was ready to sacrifice others for them, but he had feelings. You might know people like that yourself, Sir." Data told him on a hard voice - it seemed Emma's sarcasm did have an effect on his way of thinking!

Maddox raised his head sharply at this "Stop being so hypocritical! If you considered your 'brother' sentient yourself, you'd have sent him to a prison instead of dismantling him!"

And that hit a very sensitive nerve with Data. He looked into the cyberneticist's eyes shaken and hurt - knowing he WAS guilty in what the doctor was accusing him of "As you are well aware of the fact, sir, he would not have been dealt with as an organic criminal. And even if he would, I would never wish my brother to be confined for the rest of his life for his crimes. For an android, it would mean eternity. The only way I could protect him is by dismantling him myself. It was the hardest decision I ever made, and I didn't make it to sell him out. To use him for my own benefit. So I'm sorry, Sir, but I cannot take your offered opportunity."

Maddox shook his head frustrated but saw now that he would need to get a grip on the android by his emotions rather than his rationality. He sighed a troubled sigh "You're making a mistake. At least consider it before making such a hasty decision, Data! Would your 'brother' rather sit on a shelf taken apart than to have a chance at a new life? At least consider this. Please."

Before Data could reply, they heard a silent voice from the doorway "Data." Juliana called softly.

Data looked at her and then glancing back at Maddox he turned to her: "Mother. Is there something wrong?" he asked concerned.

Juliana walked up to them and looked at the stranger curiously then back at her son "No, not at all. I just wanted to check on you."

Data nodded then as Maddox looked at her curiously, he realized he should introduce them to each other: "I see. Mother, this is Doctor Bruce Maddox. The most knowledgeable cyberneticist regarding Father's work. This is my Mother, Juliana Tainer."

Maddox' eyes shone with a new light as he extended his hand "Data has told me about you in his messages. You were the assistant of Doctor Soong, am I correct?"

They shook hands, and Juliana corrected him "I was more than a simple assistant, I was a junior-cyberneticist in his lab on Omicron Theta. In essence, I was his right hand."

"Ah, I see now! But you're not in the field of cybernetics anymore. I would know you, if you were." he smiled a nervous smile, which was somehow too friendly for Juliana's liking.

She shook her head "No. Cybernetics is not the most reliable science. You can never calculate the end-result beforehand. I wanted to do a job, where the rules are less hectic, and the results are more predictable, so now I'm a geologist."

"Oh, but this is the beauty in cybernetics! You have to take those risks, Ms. Tainer, so that the end-result could turn out as remarkable as... well, as Data." he looked over at Data once again, and Juliana felt that the admiration in his eyes was less for his son's personality, and a lot more for the fact that he was such a perfect piece of engineering - she felt a chill run up her spine.

Maddox went on "I was just telling Data about my proposal to him that could be for the benefit of all of us. Maybe you could help me convince him!"

"I'm sorry, Doctor Maddox!" Data cut in "My Mother and I have some errands to run before the away-mission. So if you'd excuse us." he put his hand on his mother's arm as if to try to protect her - Juliana was surprised by the gesture.

Maddox saw that he had to wait for the right time, so he let them go "Of course, Data. I will notify you when I'm ready for the procedure." he told the android, trying to sound as helpful as he could, while he was still fuming inside.

"Thank you, Doctor." Data nodded and putting his arm gently around his mother's shoulder motioned her out to the corridor.

When the door closed behind them, Juliana stopped Data with a worried expression on her face "Data. Are you going to tell me who this man is?" He turned to her and she went on "Yesterday, when you mentioned this man's name, all of your friends seemed to become really nervous and worried."

He bowed his head to try to think of something to say to her then gazed back at her "He IS the most knowledgeable about Father's work - apart from you, I suppose... It is true though that we have a past." he glanced away again considering how much to tell her, and decided that there was no point in making her worried. He looked at her with a small smile "You need not to worry, Mother. Let us concentrate on our mission ahead of us."

However, Juliana frowned annoyed "Data, I'm not a stupid, senile old woman, so please stop treating me as such! I can see that something has made you upset. When I stepped into that lab, you seemed as if you were ready to jump that man. Adding that to the worry of your friends..."

"Please, Mother..." he cut in and then sighed to impose a measure of patience on himself "I WILL tell you everything. When I'm ready for it. I promise."

Juliana watched the emotions flicker over his pale face and she could see that he tried everything to hide how upset he was. She needed to give him the time and space he wanted. She nodded: "Alright."

Data felt really bad about shutting his mother out in this way, and he wanted to somehow reassure her. He considered what to say to her, but then struck by a thought, he simply took her by the shoulder and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Juliana then drew him in for a short hug. Then they gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment - strangely enough, he felt relieved and soothed by her touch, in a similar way Emma's touch could calm him. "Let's go." he told her with a soft smile, and they started for the turbolift without saying another word.

* * *

 **A/N: forgot to mention last week, when this chapter was uploaded that the concept that Data and Maddox' relationship deteriorated because the former refused to give over the bodies of Lore and Lal to the latter is from Jeffrey Lang's _Immortal Coil_ \- Read it, it's a great book! I changed his idea here somewhat but credits should go to him.**

 **Thank you for the reviews you've given me so far, your feedback is much appreciated! Please don't restrain yourself, and write your opinions. On the story or on the topics covered by the story! For instance, I suppose the topics of this chapter are pretty thought-provoking. Share your ideas, if you care! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Emma walked to sickbay feeling completely down in the dumps. It wasn't enough that she'd have to meet her husband later that day, but it seemed that making peace with Data proved to be a lot more difficult than she'd ever have thought. What else would this day bring? she wondered as she stepped into sickbay.

She was startled by a furious Doctor Powell who literally jumped at her the moment she entered: "Jones! When do you think you're walking in to your workplace?! Where have you been for half a day?!"

Emma blinked wearing a really dumb expression on her face for a moment - did she screw up and mixed up the dates? - then she furrowed her brows: "I have a day-off today." she told him finally a little unsure herself.

Doctor Powell was not embarrassed by his outright mistake, he crossed his arms in front of his chest "Then it means you're in need for medical attention, right? Otherwise you have no business in sickbay." he hissed.

Emma mirrored his posture and folded her arms too "Now that you mention it. Do you have anything against a pain in the ass?"

Powell seemed to blow up at this, and he stepped very close to her "You really think you can get away with everything just because the CMO is your friend. Well, just for you to know, she has her own bosses too."

Emma smirked, and in the corner of her eye, she could see that some of the staff in sickbay were actually watching them. She snorted "Just go ahead, try to report Beverly to her bosses. They'll surely believe a jealous little man! You are accusing Beverly with favouritism?! You, when everybody knows that you want the same thing for your own daughter? Awfully credible, Sir."

Powell's face seemed to turn purple at this. He tried everything to be subtle about his plans in bringing his daughter on board two months ago. The job was then given to Emma and as time passed by, he was more than frustrated that all his attempts at making her life as hard as possible failed. He never thought that anyone was aware of the fact that he held a grudge because of his daughter - he didn't know that Starfleet Medical notified Beverly about the requested transfer, who then told Emma...

"What's going on here?" Beverly came out of one of the labs and stepped to the two stubborn mules.

Emma stared into Powell's eyes for a moment longer then shrugged resignedly "You know what? You might get what you wish sooner than you think..." she told the man who just looked at her puzzled and bewildered. She then turned and walked out slouching.

Beverly looked at Powell and then the rest of the medical team questioningly, but then all of a sudden, everybody seemed to be completely wrapped up in their jobs - Powell stood there seemingly very uncomfortable. Beverly didn't feel like listening to his flood of complains about Emma, so she just turned and went after her friend.

She didn't have to go too far, Emma went into her office next to sickbay and waited for her. Beverly found her there sitting on the couch, slouching, staring at the ground with a listless expression. She watched her friend for a moment longer then went to sit next to her.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, then Emma raised her head and looked at her "I should be shouting at you for keeping secrets from me. But I'm just too curious. Is the grumpy Frenchman as good in crumpling the bedclothes as he thinks he is?"

Bev put her forehead into her palms with a moan "Oh, please rather just shout at me for not telling you where we're going..."

Emma snorted "You're late with that, sweetie. I already took my anger about that out on Data. But thanks for the offer to be my mental punching bag. Next time, I'll remember to give you a call. Now, I'd rather like to hear details. If I couldn't acquire your assistance in getting drunk yesterday, at least I'd like to hear a good enough reason for it." Bev squinted at her seeming very embarrassed from behind her palms as she went on "Now my guess is that you finally hooked up with your gallant Captain. And with a detailed description, you could save your butt to be kicked for keeping it a secret from me!" she then crossed her legs and leaned back comfortably on the sofa "So out with it, sweetie. I'm all ears!"

Beverly leaned back too, dropping her hands on her lap and grimaced uncomfortably "Emma, I don't want to disappoint you, but you're just imagining things."

"Oh, do I?!" Em asked now with an irritated frown "I went to your quarters yesterday, and you didn't open up. I know you were inside, and your combadge was placed in DND mode. Correct me if I'm wrong but you don't happen to be locking yourself up into your quarters just because you're shy about watering the plants or watching a holo-vid. Judging by the evidence presented, your denial of the facts goes beyond insulting!" she told her in mock-indignation.

"Em, please, it's a bit more complicated than..."

"I understand it, if you want to keep it a secret from anybody else." Em cut in "I'd even promise not to tell Data about it - well, not that amongst the shouting we've been doing lately, there would be any space for gossiping. But what's such a big deal about this that you're so embarrassed about in front of ME? I've been rooting for the two of you for months!" she told her completely frustrated.

"That's exactly it!" Beverly cut in. Emma looked at her now really confused, and Bev sighed seemingly trying to take up the courage to tell her something big.

Em seeing her struggling, put her teasing aside for a moment, and put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder "Hey..." she called softly, and Bev looked at her still seemingly very unsure of herself "We've been friends for decades. If you told me that you'd want to turn blond, I'd understand that too - my support'd be a bit low-key, but even I can't be perfect all of the time..." she said turning her palm up with a smile.

Bev chuckled shaking her head "Your modesty has always amazed me, dear."

Em shrugged "Well, don't tell me it's not soothing to know that there're things in the universe that don't change."

"I'm very relieved." Bev agreed and chuckled dryly.

"Swell. Now, spill it, cause curiosity is eating away at me, and Uncle Seth will be very disappointed, if he can only bring my remains for Ed to harass..."

Beverly smiled ruefully and bowed her head shrugging "Look, what I've told you is the truth... I've not 'hooked up' - as you say - with Jean-Luc."

Em opened her mouth incredulously to tell her not to pull her leg - but as she looked at her friend, she realized that Bev looked perfectly honest. "You really didn't..." she breathed stunned.

Bev shook her head "No..." she said silently.

"So then... who was with you in your quarters yesterday?" Emma asked really shocked.

Bev looked at her nonchalantly, trying to sound convincing "I never said there was anybody there with me in my quarters!"

Em rolled her eyes annoyed "You just locked yourself up because you're afraid the Wolf is gonna pay you a visit after eating Granny? C'mon Bev! You knew I would be coming to you. You knew it was me who rang your doorchime..."

"Okay, fine, fine! Just stop it!" Bev cut her off, giving in to her interrogation. She sighed and admitted on a low voice "It's Ensign Joffrey."

Emma blinked for a good few moments with a blank expression "That blond kid who got assigned to the Enterprise a month ago?"

"Yeah..." Bev nodded blushing embarrassed.

Emma took a few more moments to digest the information then looked into Bev's eyes again suspiciously "But you did ask for his ID before humping him, right? I would take it hard, if I had to bail you out of the brig for soliciting a minor."

Bev rolled her eyes irritated as she lay her forehead in her palm, but at the same time her lips curled up in a helpless smile "Oh, just go to hell!" she breathed.

Em shrugged trying to seem innocent but couldn't help the grin that crept on her features "I'm sorry, but he DOES seem young! Does his beard grow at all?"

Bev looked at her now really annoyed "Em, he's twenty-nine!"

"So he IS young!"

"He's an adult who is perfectly capable of deciding who he wants to be with. Besides, he was the one making the move on me, not reversed!"

Emma's grin was now from cheek to cheek "So. The good doctor got enchanted by the charms of a teen! Well-well-well, what do you know!"

Bev squinted at her "Look who's talking? Because Emma Jones' brain was not turned by a virtually teenager's charms, right? Because you were just immune to the fact that a young, innocent man was crazy about you. You just ignored it, right?"

"Hey-hey-hey, back-off, missy! It was a completely different situation!"

"Oh, was it."

"Yes, it was! I was never in love with a gallant Captain who was worshipping the ground I walked on. Even if I'm officially married and you're not, I've been more of a single than you've ever been in the last years! And you know that!"

"That doesn't matter now!"

"Why because you fell madly, passionately in love with the handsome Ensign - in a week?!"

"I never said that! ...We agreed that we wouldn't push each other into anything. No strings attached."

"Oh, I see now! So you're fooling around with the kid to make the grumpy Frenchman jealous! Brilliant tactics! But don't push it too hard, or you'll scare them both away!"

"No! Em! Understand it once and for all! Jean-Luc and I, we're never gonna be a couple! Ever!"

Emma blinked for a few moments at that. They've been discussing the cat-and-mouse relationship the Captain and Bev was in, and though Beverly was always embarrassed to admit her affection for Picard, after some interrogation, she would always confess her hopes. She'd never been so adamant about the opposite. Ever. "Why, Bev?" Emma asked shocked "What's changed?"

Beverly sighed feeling her heart sink and then gazed away remembering "After the premiere of Dreamland, we... There was a moment when I..." she shrugged slightly looking for words "I thought that if it didn't happen then, it never would. We... we were about to kiss and... and I know we both wanted it. And yet..." she grew silent not really knowing what to say.

Emma waited for her to go on, but as it was plain that Bev was lost in her thoughts, Em pushed her on after a few moments "What happened, Bev?" she asked on a soft voice.

Beverly looked at her as if waken from a dream and bowing her head she just shrugged confused "I don't know... We simply let go of each other."

Emma thought about it for a little while really stunned by this piece of news "Well... I'd never have guessed that my teenager android has more balls to get the girl he wants than the gallant Captain Picard." Beverly looked at her as she went on "When Data and I hooked up, we both had our fair share of doubts. But at the end of the day, even though he was barely more than a teenager in his emotions, he made up his mind. And so did I."

"That's exactly it, Em..." Beverly told her on a silent, regretful voice. Emma looked at her questioningly, and she went on "I think that Jean-Luc has made up his mind too." she looked into Emma's eyes, and her friend could very well see how hurt she was "I think he made a decision of never to pursue whatever our feelings dictate."

Emma looked at her gaping, stunned at this. After a few moments, when she was able to overcome her shock, she took Beverly's hand into hers "If it's so, the loss is his, and he's a real fool."

Bev sighed wincing "What if he's right?" At Emma's questioning gaze she went on explaining "We've been fantasizing about this for years, even decades! How could it possibly turn out good, if you go into a relationship with so many and so high expectations? We have every chance to fail, and then our friendship would be lost too. And he is perfectly right in trying to protect that."

Emma rolled her eyes "That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard you make up for a guy for being a loser!"

Bev frowned and took her hand away from hers, then stood and walked a good few meters from her. Emma stared at her surprised as Bev looked back at her really disappointed "You know what? This is exactly why I didn't want to talk about this with you. Why can't you just accept it? Why do you need to push this on?"

Em stood up frowning too "Because there's no point in trying to protect a guy, who is simply too cowardly to take up the risks in a relationship you've both been wanting for years."

"So then be it! He's a coward, and a loser, and I'm as much a cowardly loser as he is! And you were RIGHT! Feeling better now?" Beverly retorted and then turned away from her friend.

Emma stood there petrified for a moment watching her friend struggling to hide her tears. Then walked up to her and wordlessly turned her around and hugged her gently. Beverly let her. It was rare that Emma showed her affection through physical contact, and now Bev was really moved that for her she was willing to put aside her inhibitions. She hugged her friend gratefully.

After a long moment, Emma started to talk on a soft voice "It's not easy to give up loving somebody after such a long time. And it's even more difficult to do it alone." she pulled away and looked into Beverly's tear-filled eyes "I'm sorry for being a lousy friend whom you felt you couldn't talk to. Please, just ignore me, and talk to me if you need help. I'm here for you, Bev."

Beverly gazed away guiltily then back at her "I didn't mean it, Em. I was just..." she shook her head "I haven't been able to digest all of this myself. And saying it aloud..." she trailed off feeling really helpless.

"Makes it too real, right?" Emma finished for her.

Beverly nodded "It feels so final. Maybe hope is the most difficult thing to give up." Emma nodded thoughtfully, and Bev tightened her embrace around her for a moment "Forget what I said. You're a very good friend. Even if it's difficult, your making me talk does help a lot."

Emma smiled relieved "Then I'll make you talk a lot, sweetie! From now on, about the gallant Ensign."

Beverly chuckled and rolled her eyes playfully "Oh, be careful what you wish for." she told her snifling.

They let go of each other "Come on, Bev, I told you I want details! So how did he make that move?"


	17. Chapter 17

Beverly was saved from any serious interrogation by the opening door: Data and Juliana stepped through it, and Data as usual asked politely: "Are we disturbing you?"

"Not at all, come in." Beverly told him reassuringly "You came to have yourself turned into a human, right?" she smiled kindly.

Data nodded "That is at least in looks, Doctor."

"Fine. I'll bring the phase refractor. Be right back." she said and left the three of them alone.

"What kind of tool is she talking about?" Juliana asked curiously.

Data clasped his hands in front of him and started to explain on a professional voice "The bioplast covering reacts to certain wavelengths of polarized light, if the phase is properly modulated by the electromagnetic wave's refraction. The method not only works on my 'skin', but also does on my eye-coloring. As it is rather complicated to calculate the proper phase modulation, frequency and wavelength that would produce the desired effect, we built a tool to fulfill the task. When the Captain and I had to go to Romulus disguised as Romulans, my skin was 'dyed' to resemble to that of a Romulan in this fashion."

"I see." Juliana nodded thoughtfully "When Noonian designed your looks, he went with the technology available at the time to give you looks as human as possible. We knew of no method to color your skin in those days."

"I see..." Data mused on this for a moment "I always thought, Father left the color of the bioplast raw on purpose, so that the illusion of me being a human would not be so complete." he said silently, but his gaze wandered from Juliana to Emma.

She glanced away and had to forcefully stop herself from saying 'Just stop this bullshit!' Juliana turned her gaze from Data to Emma, and could very well feel the tension between the two of them. It seemed they were not able to reconcile since last night, she thought regretfully.

Beverly came back, had him sit in a chair, and she sat opposite him, while Emma and Juliana stood a little farther away from them.

"Now, let me see." she said smiling. "Do you have anything in mind? Any preference of skin or eye-color?"

Data shrugged grimacing a little listlessly "I trust your taste, doctor."

Beverly smiled with sparkling eyes "Oh, with pleasure, Data!" she said, and Emma took a small step toward them "Just make sure not to get too creative, Bev, and make him end up purple!"

Juliana and Beverly chuckled - Data's lips didn't even twitch to show mirth, and a chilling sensation ran up Emma's spine: was the procedure already done? Did he feel no emotions anymore? Or he simply didn't feel like laughing that day - he wasn't really in the mood for humour in the morning either...

"Let's start with something as close to your current look as possible, okay?" Bev told him, and as he nodded his assent, she changed the setting of the instrument. "Shut your eyes!" she commanded, and as he obeyed, she started to move it over his face. As it emitted a strange soft light, his skin started to turn into a more natural pink color. Juliana and Emma stepped closer to them and watched in wonder. When all his face was colored, Beverly turned the instrument off "You may open your eyes now. What do you think?" she asked looking at the two women. Both of them stood there gaping amazed. He looked so human, that they barely could believe it, though his skin color was only slightly different from his original.

"May I see it too, Doctor Crusher?" Data asked silently, and Bev realized she forgot to give him a mirror. She jumped up and fetched a mirror from her drawer then handing it to him, sat back opposite him. He looked at himself with a deadpan expression.

"Do you like it, or should we go for a darker color?" Beverly asked smiling.

"It is perfectly fine, Doctor, thank you."

"What about your eyes? You sure, you don't have a preference?" Bev interrogated him on - she tried to drive him out of his passivity. He simply shook his head, and she looked at the ladies thinking "Oh, I have an idea!" she declared and changed some settings of the instrument "Let me!" she asked and held it above his eyes - they slowly turned into a sparkling gray-blue color.

"Oh, my god!" Juliana breathed as Beverly finished, and Data looked at her. She stood there petrified, gaping as if she saw a ghost! He not only resembled Noonian anymore! He was the spitting image! Only a lot younger than she remembered!

Beverly smiled at him cheerfully "I was thinking you might like to 'inherit' your mother's eye color!" True as it was, Juliana's eyes were the color of the stormy sea - but Beverly never knew that that was the same gray-blue color his Father's eyes used to have.

Data looked into the mirror and was really surprised by what he saw: his father was looking back at him from his very first dream sequence. He looked at her mother, Juliana was standing there still in awe, and he suddenly felt really embarrassed. Two days ago, he made her mother cry by resembling his father simply in his gestures. Now, he looked exactly like his father - he didn't want her to keep feeling uncomfortable with him because of his looks. He looked at Beverly timidly "It is a most considerate thought of you, Doctor. I appreciate it. However, now that I come to think of it, I'd prefer something closer to my original eye-color. Green perhaps."

Beverly looked from him to Juliana and back, and she could see that she must have hit a nerve in some way, only she didn't quite understand how. She complied without a question "Sure, Data. Let me see!" she set the instrument and colored his eyes pale green.

Emma watched the scene in silence. When she saw Data look at his mother's reaction to his blue eyes, relief washed over her: he was still the same Data she came to know in the last two months, he still had his emotions, he looked so embarrassed. But it was plain that he was upset after talking to this Doctor Maddox. She came to know his way of dealing with strong emotions by trying to hide them as well as he was able to.

It was also plain that Juliana was shocked seeing him turning into so human, and she had to admit, she herself was overwhelmed with awe too. Even though that the end-result was not much different from his original looks: his skin was still pale, with only a vague tinge of pink, his eyes were green, but in shade or semi-darkness, nobody could tell that it was not the original yellow, and Bev gave his lips a faint red accent too, so they resembled human lips more, but it was really light and otherwise his features stayed the same. Still the change was stunning: he was as dashing a human as he'd been an android.

"How do you like it?" Beverly asked Data, who was looking at himself in the mirror with childlike wonder on his features.

"I think I like it." he put the mirror down finally with a small smile.

Beverly smiled too and turned to the ladies "And you? Do you approve?"

Juliana smiled and couldn't help to feel a certain amount of relief that her son decided against blue eyes "You are very handsome, son!" she told Data lovingly "A lot more than your father ever was!" she added and really meant it.

If Data possessed the ability to blush, he thought he would have done it now. He then looked at Emma, and a wave of anxiety washed over him. Would she like what she saw? He then felt the worry to be futile. Did it matter? They drifted so apart in just about twenty-four hours, maybe she wouldn't even care.

But Emma smiled shyly despite herself "I have to agree with your mom." she told him on a soft voice. Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his exquisite lips - they were even more desirable highlighted like that - and instantly her head was flooded with images of kissing him. She cleared her throat and self-consciously pushed her fingers through her hair "What about the rest of your body? You'll need to be re-colored underneath your clothes too!"

Data frowned puzzled and really uncomfortable "Why would that be necessary?"

"Think about it." she told him "What if your clothes got torn? How would you explain that some of your skin is pink, but the rest isn't? It'd be worse than just leaving your original skin color everywhere."

Beverly, Juliana and Data admitted that they had to agree on this. Beverly gave him the instrument, and he went into a neighbouring empty room to finish Beverly's work - totally embarrassed, while the ladies smiled after him.

After a minute, their combadges went off. It was time. They were to go to the transporter room. "Just go. I'll wait for him." Emma told Bev and Juliana, and they complied. When they left, Emma wandered to the door of the room Data was in, and after a moment of hesitation, she entered.

"Hey!" he called self-consciously looking to the door "It's you." he said on a calmer voice seeing his lover. "I'm almost done." he declared. He was dressed from the waistline down, but he seemed to have some trouble reaching certain parts of his back, so he had nothing on over his chest and back.

She smiled and stepped to him "Let me give you a hand with the rest." she asked on a commanding voice. They locked gazes and after a moment of hesitation, he gave her the instrument still embarrassed, and she stepped behind him. She did the job silently watching his beautiful golden skin turn into the more human-like pink color. As she moved the instrument over his skin, she instinctively reached up and put her other hand to his shoulder. He tensed up at the touch, feeling himself helplessly turning on even by the slightest contact of skin. She then slid her hand to his bladebone and then down over his spine. He shut his eyes and tried to make his breathing remain calm so as not to sell his thoughts that were racing unrestrainably back to their night together...

She slid her fingers further down to the small of his back brushing over the hollow of his off-switch with a feather-like touch. He sucked in a breath at the sensation, but did not move as she colored his skin there, her hand coming to rest on his thin waist. It became an unspoken game of trust between them in the last few weeks: when he held her close, she would sometimes brush her fingers to his skin over his turn-off switch asking for his implicit trust. He knew that she was giving him the same trust simply by letting her fragile human body to be held by a man with inhuman strength. This was their way to assure each other that neither of them would ever betray the trust of the other.

But this time, power was only in her hands and she smiled relieved. She knew that his letting her touch him there without a flinch meant that despite their differences, not everything was lost between the two of them. He still trusted her with his life - and so did she! In a moment, she was finished, so she turned the instrument off and put it on the table next to them. Then she wordlessly slid her arms around his waist and cuddled up to him from behind.

He opened his eyes and had to forcefully stop himself from whimpering at the feel of her body pressed so tightly to him, her breath on his bare skin, her palms hot where they touched his abdomen. And then he heard her speak on a silent tear-filled voice.

"Data..." she said his name on a reverent whisper "I can't go on this mission, I can't face my husband without making things up with you. I can't go down to that damned planet knowing that you're still angry at me." she shook her head "I would never ask anybody for their forgiveness more than I'm asking you now..." - oh, how much she hated herself for giving up all her pride for only a word of forgiveness from this man! But she needed him now! Maybe more than ever before!

"Emma, there's nothing to forgive. I am not angry at you." he told her on a thin voice showing his own desperation. He shut his eyes tormented as he heard her sniffle and felt her hot tears run down his back. He sighed reaching for her hands, he twined his long fingers through hers "If only we had time to talk... because there is just too many things we need to talk about to reconcile our differences - almost impossibly too many things." he told her silently.

After a moment, she pulled her hands away and took a small step from him as he turned to her to look into her eyes. She stared into his eyes pleading "Then please just promise me that we're not giving up on us! That when we finally come back home, we'll do everything to make up."

A stray tear ran down her cheek, and she sniffled again embarrassed. He raised his hand to her cheek and slowly, gently wiped the tear away with his thumb. She locked her tear-filled gaze with his, and he spoke on a silent voice when he replied "That I can promise you wholeheartedly." He sighed as he felt that even with this tiny touch, that terrible sense of absence, he'd been experiencing ever since he last touched her, lessen even if only a little bit. She leaned into his touch and shut her eyes in that one moment of perfect bitter-sweet tenderness.

He then took his hand away, and she opened her eyes. She felt a sense of relief as they locked gazes, and Data had a tiny smile on his face - finally! she hated herself that a man's happiness could influence how she felt so profoundly, but she could do little about it now. She watched him dressing up, and they went to the transporter room in silence.

* * *

 **A/N: I know, I know you all call BLASPHEMY that Data's looks are altered. But think about how many times his looks were redesigned on screen! The length and color of his hair, the color of his eyes and lips! Check out the first two episodes of the third season for instance: Brent was given so thin contact-lenses that it was not able to thoroughly cover his original eye-color, so it seemed Data's eyes were green. How do you think I got the idea for green here? ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

Emma didn't have a lot of time to get scared of the reality of the situation as they stepped onto the transporter pad with Data and the others, because ten seconds later, they were standing in the main hall of the residence of the premier. So. It was real. She was back home again.

Beverly looked at her cautiously as Edmond Jones and some other well-dressed men walked up to them. Emma watched her husband with a wary look, and Bev wondered how it might feel to meet somebody whom you used to love with passion and then came to hate with the same passion after years of separation. Bev then gazed back at the man. He was just the way she remembered him: he was tall with a commanding presence, telltaling of an overpowering ambition. His features were not particularly handsome: he had a prominent nose, the way Data did, but his face lacked the harmony and delicacy of the android, his features were rather craggy. He had short, dark hair and huge deep-brown eyes that reflected vigour - and Beverly had the same impression she had had when they'd last met: no women were safe while he was around, he was literally oozing masculinity.

"Welcome to Epsilon Four." he greeted them on his pleasant voice with a friendly smile, and the Admiral stepped up to him.

"Thank you, Premier Jones. I'm Admiral Seth McKinnley representing the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet."

Ed held out a hand for the Admiral "I'm really gratified to meet you in person, Sir, after all the messages we've exchanged."

"The pleasure is mine, Premier." he motioned to the team "Let me introduce my associates. This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the Captain of the flagship Enterprise."

Ed stepped to the Captain and shook hands with him "Oh, so you're from a French origin, Monsier. Just like my humble self."

"That's correct, Sir." Picard nodded but his features remained rather neutral.

The Premier went on on a charming voice holding the Captain's hand in his for a moment longer "I will be happy to introduce you to my selection of French wines, if you have an interest in such things."

The Captain nodded a little surprised "As a matter of fact, my own family has vineyards in its possession near Bordeaux."

Ed smiled with delight "Bordeaux? Where exactly if I may pry? I know the region quite well, I used to study in Bordeaux!"

"The vineyards are near La Barre, it's a small village, I don't suppose..."

Ed cut in excited "Oh, but I do know it! We went to a wine-tasting there one summer with my fellow students! It's an enchanting surroundings, Sir!" he then suddenly seemed embarrassed "Oh, I'm sorry for the distraction. It's just so rare to meet someone from my homeland. Especially someone, who's knowledgeable about wines! I'm really happy to meet a kindred spirit, Sir!"

Beverly watched the scene somewhat troubled. She remembered how charming Ed used to be to people who weren't familiar with him. In fact, it was difficult to keep out from under his influence even now! He WAS amazing in this regard for sure. But she did remember how he used to treat Emma when something was not of his liking, and knew very well that this all was only a veneer. She looked around to see the others' reaction: Emma rolled her eyes seemingly annoyed, Data and Juliana watched them with a neutral expression, and the Admiral looked rather jealous. She couldn't help but smiled a little gloatingly at this - Jean-Luc seemed to manage to steal the Admiral's show without wanting to...

When Ed stepped over to her, the Admiral started to introduce her, but Ed stopped him mid-sentence "I believe we don't need to be introduced, right Beverly?" he asked with a soft, irresistible smile and took her hand gently in both of his "It's been quite a few years, but you are just as stunningly beautiful as you were back, when I last saw you. Departing with the last ship from Epsilon."

Beverly gave him an ice-cold smile "Well, thank you, Edmond. I hear you yourself haven't changed much during the course of years either." she taunted sarcastically.

Ed snorted, and his smile started to seem a little less sincere "So I regret to see my pretty little wife managed to convince you that I'm a monster. I suppose you won't be surprised, if I tell you that every coin has two sides. I'm hoping you're willing to hear about the other side as well, Beverly. You've always been nothing but fair with everybody."

Beverly felt cornered by this and glanced at Emma with an uncomfortable expression then looked back into Ed's eyes with a rather tight smile "Of course." she replied.

He stepped over to Juliana, and the Admiral introduced her too. Ed shook hands with her too "I'm very glad to have a geologist with us. There are a lot of minerals on our planet that might prove to be of interest for you. And the Federation as well in general. I'll be happy to show you our latest researches."

Juliana smiled politely "I'd be glad to look around on-site as well. That is, only if you don't mind. You see for a geologist, material in our hands say a lot more than research about it on a padd."

Ed seemed to be vaguely surprised by this, but then his smile returned, and he nodded: "It's possible, of course."

He went on to the last two members of the away team and made a great show of ignoring Emma, as if she wasn't even there. Beverly and the Captain noticed it too, and they exchanged glances knowing they both were thinking the same: if he treated his wife this way, this man's intentions were nothing but false no matter how charming he may have seemed.

Emma looked up at him, but Ed only looked into Data's eyes. After a moment of staring, he extended a hand for the android, and the Admiral went on with introducing him as well "This is Lieutenant Commander Data. He is the Operations officer of the Enterprise, and now he is the bodyguard of Ms. Jones. As per her request." he added on a low, despising voice.

"Lieutenant Commander Data..." Ed repeated, and his smile was gone as he squeezed Data's hand. "Is this your first or last name? How may I call you?"

"Data is just fine." the android answered on his usual silent tone and took his hand away from Ed's grasp a little too quickly. He couldn't help but glare at the man as his mind was flooded with images of Emma crying into him in their bed knowing that her overwhelming sense of inadequateness originated mostly in her failed marriage to this man. In how she was treated by this man... He heard her say the word 'sometimes...' in his head, and his hands came up into fists as the white fire of fury ran all over his neural pathways.

"What a peculiar name." Ed remarked coldly. His gaze seemed to be glued on the other man, and Emma had a really bad feeling about how the two of them stared at each other - like two stallions about to fight for a mare! No! Ed could never learn that they were a couple! She didn't dare to imagine his reaction or his revenge...

"The 24th century is a peculiar time, Edmond. You should try it yourself for a change." Emma told him on an off-hand tone to make him stop staring at Data. Ed seemed to be distracted for a moment, then he finally gazed down at her with his dark eyes, and a chill ran up her spine. He stepped to her and looked into her eyes - she felt she needed to take a step back from him, but she stood her ground.

"A bodyguard, ma chérie? You don't happen to be afraid in your own home, now do you?" he asked, and his lips curled up into a sweet, caring smile as he took her hand in his "I assure you, there's nothing to fear. I'm really happy that you could be convinced to return." he told her and then kissed her hand gently.

Emma glared at him frowning and pulled her hand away with disgust "Let's not shun from using the word 'blackmail', shall we? Instead of euphemising around it. Chérie."

Ed seemed to be genuinely shocked by this and uttered the word with a hint of disgust "Blackmailed." He took a few steps backwards to look at all of them at once and exchanged glances with the Admiral "There seems to be a misunderstanding then." he looked back at Emma with a convincingly innocent expression "I merely hoped that you would return home, if you saw that I want Epsilon to step on the road of change. The change you've been hoping for for so many a long years."

The Admiral spoke up to take out the edge of the situation turning to be rather strained "We are here to witness, moreover to help you with that change, Premier." he offered.

Edmond nodded and seemed to be grateful for the helpfulness of the Admiral "There will be plenty of space for that help, Admiral, with what I'm about to do." he took a few more steps backward and spread his arms theatrically "I'll need you to help me turn Epsilon Four into a democratic state from the crude dictatorship I am forced to lead now. I'm not going to be shy about asking for your assistance with this enormous task. We need all the help we can get. The people of Epsilon are frightened now that they lost their strong leader. And frightened people can cause a lot of trouble. Even for themselves. I could use force to silence them. But then my original intention would be lost as well. I'd rather change their opinions. And soothe them at the same time."

Beverly exchanged glances with Emma. They both were stunned by what was said, while the others watched on curiously and expectantly.

"A noble cause, Premier." the Admiral replied "We are happy to assist."

Ed's gaze travelled from the old man to his wife who stood there now with an incredulous expression "Thank you. I'm hoping that every member of your team will be as pledged to this cause as you are, Sir."

The Admiral glanced at Emma with cold eyes "Lieutenant Jones knows very well how important this mission is."

Emma couldn't help herself and spread her arms "So you're sincerely want us to believe that you want democracy? After taking part in the dictatorship for a decade?" she asked and just couldn't believe her own ears - or the fact that there was anybody in the room taking Ed seriously.

"I do." Ed replied on a cold voice "I knew that you wouldn't believe me. But let me give you some proof on my intentions. In the last few weeks, I've suspended all death sentences on political prisoners and have forbidden the pursuit of anybody who voiced their dissatisfaction with the previous regime. Moreover, the government is currently working on giving general amnesty to all that have been sentenced only because of their political views." he stepped up to Emma and stared deep into her eyes - Data had to forcefully stop himself from pushing the man away from her. Ed went on on a low voice "This is why you are safe, ma chérie. As part of the Resistance, you would have been taken prisoner the moment you set foot on Epsilon Four. Instead you're here. Questioning the motifs of the Premier. What is this, if not democracy?" he asked searching her eyes with an honest gaze.

She was dumbfounded. She couldn't utter a word. She looked to the others, and they all stood there seemingly stunned even thrilled - she knew they believed him. Oh, god, they did believe every word!

Edmond went on gazing deeply into her eyes "I'm willing to take responsibility for all I've done. I'm willing to face the past. Are you?"

Emma stared into his dark eyes for a long moment, not able to turn her gaze away "Whatever else would I be here for?" she asked on a silent determined voice "But I know you too well. You may take them for a ride, but I don't believe a word."

Ed smiled forgivingly and glanced at the others for an instant giving Emma the impression that he wanted to make sure that everybody heard him well "Who would expect you to? You were hurt in our marriage, so you hold a grudge. Nobody blames you, Emma." he told her on a soft regretful voice "You have every right to be angry at me. I take that responsibility also, ma chérie." he told her looking at her with such a loving devotion that even Beverly's heart lurched, and she suddenly got scared: Ed's ability for manipulation seemed to know no boundaries!

Emma grew pale as understanding finally dawned on her: she was all alone with her belief that this was all wrong and false. This was his goal all along, to make her isolated from her own team. To make her doubts seem utterly groundless and herself ridiculous.

"So if all the doubts of Ms. Jones are fully dissolved," the Admiral stepped to them impatiently "could we start our negotiations?"

"Right away, Sir." Ed told him on a professional voice and then walked back to his associates to look at the delegation "My staff will show you to your accommodation. During the time you spend on Epsilon, I will need to ask you not to wear your uniforms but change into clothes appropriate to the colony's fashion. If you wish to go outside, it will help you blend in whereas your uniforms might cause some stir up."

"Ms. Jones have warned us about that, Premier." the Admiral told him trying hard to sound very cooperative "Of course, we are ready to comply."

"Thank you for being so understanding." Ed told them gratefully, and seeing his wife stare desperately at Beverly, he smiled satisfied.

* * *

After some argument with the staff about the rooms, Emma finally got a room that had a common door with the neighbouring one, which Data got. She changed clothes to a casual jeans and top combination and collapsed in the comfortable armchair in front of the television. The autumn sun shone warmly in through the wide windows, the delightful yellow light broken only by the shadow of the falling leaves. She heard a soft knock on the door from the neighbouring room, and after a long sigh, she called "Come in."

But then apart from some budging of the handle, nothing happened, and after a moment, Data's reluctant voice came through "I'd gladly, however I seemed to have ran into a slight obstacle."

Emma chuckled and got up from the armchair. She pushed the handle upward, then turned the key and pushing the handle downward, opened the door. His head appeared in the crack, and he seemed to study the handle from her side as well. She couldn't help the delighted smile creeping on her features at the small scene. She looked into his eyes challengingly.

"All this intelligence crammed in one head, Commander, and a simple handle eludes you?" she teased him giggling.

Data cocked his head a little self-consciously "May I kindly remind you, that the key was on your side? Besides, I have seen similar locks in holodeck simulations, but not anything quite like this on a door INSIDE a building."

Emma's face grew grim, and she stepped away from the door, so he could come in "I've told you. The people on Epsilon are suspicious. They don't trust anybody, not even friends or family members." she told him while going back to sit down in the huge armchair with her legs pulled up under her.

Data stood opposite her "You know that we're supposed to report at the negotiations."

She rolled her eyes "Ah, to the hell with that, Deadpan." she tilted her head backward to rest it on the back of the huge armchair and shut her eyes. She seemed awfully tired, despite the fact that she didn't have to work that day. Data knew that the stress of meeting her husband wore her completely out.

He sat down on her bed to the side of the armchair and looked at her cautiously "Your husband..." she opened her eyes and gazed at him listlessly as he went on "seemed very friendly with most of the team. In a very sharp contrast to your description of him."

She raised her head and sighed impatiently "He DOES seem very friendly of course. While sharpening the knife to stab you in the back with."

"I believe he has managed to earn the trust of some of us by simply emitting a certain sense of trustworthiness. Without making a serious effort." he remarked his observations.

She frowned frustrated and felt her heart sink at this "You do believe every word, just like the others, don't you." she pushed herself up from the armchair and walked to the window to look out "It's easier to believe your eyes, then to believe me, who's been living with this man for years. He barely said two sentences, but he is so unbelievably manipulative, that he could make me look like an idiot with all my doubts and worries by the snap of his fingers - I knew this was coming..."

He watched her from the bed for a moment longer. She seemed so frustrated, so lost - the tension was palpable by her posture. He just couldn't let her suffer like that! Even if they never had a chance to reconcile, even if they were in the middle of a mission. He stood and walked over to where she was leaning to the glass of the window. The color of her hair seemed to catch fire in the sunlight, and he noticed that it wasn't simply brown as it seemed in the artificial lights of the Enterprise: it was red and light brown and deep brown - and gray at places. He raised his hand and gently swept her long strands behind her shoulder. She turned to him, and he slid his hand to her face to cup her cheek in his palm tenderly, leaning close to her face "I do believe my eyes." he told her on a voice barely above a whisper "And let them be green or yellow, rest assured, I can see very clearly with them. And even if I couldn't..." a small smile curved his lips upward "I do know you. And I do believe you." Emma looked into his eyes stunned, her breath caught by his intense gaze and his words, and the implicit trust they reflected. And as he told her on a whisper "Never doubt that, please." she was lost, completely lost...

Her gaze dropped to his slightly parted lips now highlighted by some faint red coloring, making them even more desirable, and as if he could read her mind, he bent to her and pushed his lips to hers tenderly. Her eyes closed instinctively as she put her hands on his chest and felt his arms wrapping around her waist as she took his lower lip between her own two lips... Oh, no! We must not! No! A needy moan escaped her as she broke away. Her hands came up to his face, and she put her thumbs on his moist lips to stop him from kissing her on "No, please, don't..." she breathed. Oh, god, help me! She gasped as she looked up at him through her lashes. His strong arms were holding her so firm, so solid, and his expression reflected the same need that was burning inside of her, that it was very difficult to fight herself like this. She slid her hands to his shoulders and bowed her head taking a deep breath to calm her senses going crazy even by this tender little peck.

He bowed his head too to snuggle his temple to hers "What's wrong, baby?" he asked on a whisper.

She had to take another moment to answer, and she snuggled up to his ear to speak on a whisper "I-I don't want him to learn that we're together."

Data felt the digital equivalent of a bucket of cold water in his neck at hearing this. He pulled away and looked at her wide-eyed, shocked "Why?" he asked on a voice well above whisper.

She got herself together and took a step back from him. Her expression was hard and stubborn. "We're not gonna discuss any such matter in here. I've told you we're being listened to all the time."

It was a perfectly sensible argument, Data had to admit - if only his emotion-chip complied to that argument too! He watched as she stepped to the door and looked at him expectantly, and he felt a tight fist squeezing his chest from inside. However, yet again there was no time to clarify the situation. So he just went after her to go to the negotiations with his usual deadpan expression.

* * *

 **A/N: Believe it or not, but the character of Ed was designed after a real politician in my country...**  
 **The words 'ma chérie' and 'Monsier' are French meaning 'sweetie' and 'Mister' respectively. (I don't speak French, but I kinda like the sound of it. :) )**


	19. Chapter 19

**Rated M for language**

* * *

Emma and Data got back to their accommodation only in the evening. They left before the others, Emma not being able to bear to sit in one room with Ed any longer. The sun was slowly setting, the shade of the trees in the neat garden of the residence grew long, and the temperature dropped. They stepped up the porch, but as Data was about to open the entrance door, Emma lagged behind, and he turned back to her questioningly. She walked to one of the columns holding the roof of the porch and leant to it tiredly looking out over the garden.

Data stepped up to her and looked at her expectantly "I thought you'd like to rest."

Emma sighed "Isn't it beautiful, Deadpan?" she asked nodding toward the nature in the garden and the setting sun. He rested his gaze on her for a moment longer. Her features were deepened by the shades of the faint light, her hair was glowing yet again in a thousand colors, and her huge eyes reflected sorrow and fatigue. She stood there hugging herself as she spoke "I always loved this planet." she confessed on a thin voice "The nature, the lights... everything about it is so beautiful - it's a crime that my species ever set foot on it." she added on a low disdainful voice.

Data looked out on the garden "It bears a resemblance to certain places on Earth. Perhaps you feel nostalgic because of that." he turned back to her, and as a tremor ran through her, he realized she must have felt cold in her thin long-sleeved top. He unbuttoned his waist-long jacket and swiftly taking it off, he gently wrapped it around her shoulders.

She took in a deep breath "Oh, you're sweet..." she whispered gratefully, and as he adjusted the jacket around her, she instinctively snuggled into his touch. He slid his hands to her shoulders and inhaled the fragrance of her hair. He wanted to bend to her and kiss her on the temple and hold her close from behind, but based on her earlier reaction, he knew that she wouldn't approve of that - so he just let her go and went on staring at her while standing beside her.

She pulled the two sides of the jacket more tightly together and looked at him with the same devotion his eyes were reflecting. She contemplated the tantalizing situation for a moment. Even knowing that it would be immensely difficult to keep their hands off of each other, she wanted him to be there with her. Her excuse for it was that she needed protection. But in actuality, she had lived with the Resistance for two years and could protect herself quite well. What she really needed was his presence. Solid, trusting - loving. She wanted to hold on to those things and hoped that they would keep her sane.

Ed played with his hands laid out on the table for all to see. All their suspicions about him wanting to trade dilithium with the Federation as the real cause of him wanting them on the planet were not only confirmed but given them as an official offer. He wanted democracy, he wanted help from the Federation to achieve it, and he wanted to pay with the dilithium for it. It all seemed clear and transparent and honest. So much so that by the end of the day, Emma started to seriously believe that she was paranoid simply because she must have gone mad.

But she looked up into the eyes of her lover and knew that she didn't have to doubt herself. She was not alone.

Suddenly, Data turned his head toward the road leading up to the entrance, listening.

"What is it?" Emma asked concerned.

"The others are coming." he answered, and she smiled faintly - she was always amazed at his awesome android senses.

Before long, Beverly, Juliana and the Captain walked up to them.

"I thought you would already be eating." Beverly told Emma as she stepped up to them "I don't know how you're with it, but I'm starved."

They all smiled and nodded to this - Data noticed relieved that Emma seemed somewhat more relaxed, especially compared to how she seemed in the afternoon. There was no doubt that they needed to talk not only about their personal matters but also about what to expect of this mission after the first day, but still he was relieved to see her a bit more calm. His gaze simply was forgotten on her as she chit-chatted with Beverly - his resources once again almost thoroughly claimed by thoughts and sensations about her - and he was startled by the voice of the Admiral inviting them to have dinner together. The old man seemed very satisfied by how the day turned out.

Data politely let everybody go inside and was about to go through the wide entrance door himself, when he heard a voice from behind him:

"Mr. Data, may I have a word with you."

He turned back and saw Edmond standing at the same column Emma had stood a few minutes before.

"Premier Jones." he walked back to the man "Excuse me, I have not noticed you. I didn't realize you came with the rest of our team." he told him on a polite but ice-cold voice.

Ed snorted and seemed to change his mind about his reply as he said "I escorted the Admiral. I was hoping to have a word with my wife, but I rather let her have her dinner first. She can become really upset if she's hungry." his lips curved up into a smile which seemed rather unsettling to Data as he went on "As you might have noticed perhaps."

Data stepped opposite him beside the railing of the porch and looked into his eyes. He understood that the other man wanted to gain information on his level of relationship with Emma. And though he didn't understand why Emma wanted to keep it a secret, he would never sell her out. He remained silent and let Ed go on.

"Tell me something, Mr. Data." Ed began and turned toward the garden, putting his hands on the railing. Darkness slowly descended on them, the last rays of the sun just disappeared behind the tall bushes of the garden. Ed went on "How did you end up in the bodyguard business? As I understand, you're a rather high-ranking Starfleet officer of the flagship." he turned his head to Data "And no offence meant, Sir, but you don't seem particularly strong either."

"Strength is by no means the only ability that a bodyguard needs to possess. I can assure you, I am fit for the task." Data answered as neutrally as he could think of.

"Did my wife ask you to escort her here?" Ed went on trying to get a grip on him.

Data shook his head "I was ordered by Captain Picard." It was actually true.

"Hmph..." Ed grimaced seemingly disappointed. He straightened, and looking deep into the other man's eyes, he stepped up to him - Data had the impression that Ed wanted to intimidate him by that intense look. Data just stared blankly into his eyes with as a deadpan expression as ever.

Ed then stepped around him and looked out into the darkness that once was the garden. Data turned to him and watched him waiting for the next question.

"And tell me, my friend," Ed started on a casual tone "have you fucked her yet?" the question was thrown at him with such nonchalance that Data had to check his memory files, if he had heard it well - he did. He stood there gaping as his chest was squeezed by anger he rarely felt.

"The nature of my association with Lieutenant Jones is none of your concerns. And your words, Sir, are lacking the respect she deserves." he said on a low voice completely neutral of his feelings.

Ed laughed out loud and stepped to him with a delighted smile "Don't get so wound up, my friend. We're just talking. Besides I've seen you looking at her. And she at you. I know her for a very long time, you know..." he took a few steps again from Data and rested his hands on the railing once again "I don't blame you. She can be amazingly attractive..." he chuckled "AND attentive, if she wants to enchant a man. I bet she's showed off at least some of her skills to turn your head." he glanced at the other man for his reaction.

Data stepped to him at this "I believe I have mentioned that your words are disrespectful. If you wish to continue this conversation, I suggest you change the language you apply to Ms. Jones." this time there was a warning edge in his tone and Ed recognized it with satisfaction.

He straightened and looked at Data with a content smirk "Fine. I've already got the answer to my question anyway." his features then turned really serious "Believe it or not, I'm merely trying to protect you. You seem to be such a decent guy. You have no idea what you get yourself into with Emma."

Data's heart sank - he did not expect any such answer "What do you mean?" he asked on a silent voice.

When Ed answered his voice and face were both dead-serious "Has she told you that she's a drug addict? And that she was treated in a mental institution?"

Data just couldn't hide the shock that appeared on his features, and Ed was patient, he waited for him to speak. Data stared into his eyes for a few moments then glanced away - it was impossible to wrap his mind around what he just heard! He looked back at Ed and gave him the most professional answer he could "Her records don't mention anything about an addiction, neither of a hospitalization."

"How would they, Mr. Data? Her records show only facts about the time, when other Starfleet officers were on the planet. For years, she was the only one... How long have you known her?" Ed asked seemingly curious.

Data could think of no rational reason for not telling him the truth: "I've known her for two months." he answered silently.

Ed nodded and went on with the same curiosity "She never showed any signs? Never got hysterical without a compellingly good enough reason? Never tried to fight you or anybody whom she felt would impose his authority over her even if it was completely unreasonable to do so? Never even got drunk?"

Data gazed away again not being able to hide his emotions, his distress over this man's words was written on his features. His simple questions described Emma precisely! And it was only a day ago when he needed to bring her home from Ten Forward. But that was only...

"It was only one or a few occasions. That's what you're thinking, right?" Ed finished his thoughts, and as Data gazed at him clearly hit by all of this, he nodded "Well, if you want to keep your 'association' up with her, you'll need to be prepared for such incidents, my friend." he shrugged taking a few steps away from him "Two months you say... You've been lucky, she does have some stable periods, you might have another few weeks of it. But then a problem comes up, something she has no idea how to resolve, and she would drift away, the way she always does... No sane man could blame her, you know... Her father beat the shit out of her and her brothers from a very young age. With a past like that, she constantly needs something or someone to lean on to, to keep her going." he looked back at Data who stood there petrified "I'm sorry if I've destroyed the image you had about her in your head. But after seeing how you look at her, I thought you'd better be aware... I just ask you to give me a call, if you can't handle her any longer. Though our marriage has been effectively over for years as it is, but... I'd still like to protect her."

Data finally got himself together enough to find at least one free processing thread to use for logical thinking, and he stepped up to Ed "You've given me nothing but allusions and implications, Sir. But apart from the fact that I've seen Ms. Jones drunk once, there's no proof to support what you've just told me."

Ed smiled kindly and put a hand on Data's shoulder "That's alright. You don't have to believe me. She'll give you proof herself, if you spend enough time with her." he squeezed his shoulder, then took his hand away.

Data's emotions finally took the better of him, and his hands came up into fists as he replied on a low tense voice "Even if she did, after a marriage she had to suffer through with someone as self-centered as you are, no wonder she expects everybody to hurt her or to exploit her."

Ed snorted but didn't seem to be insulted "Ah, yeah, me, the self-centered husband. She's told you that I was a monster with her, who never let her do whatever she pleased, right? The one thing she always forgets to mention is that she NEEDS those restraints, she needs boundaries. Because she herself has no idea where they lie." he smiled regretfully "You'll learn that yourself soon enough if you haven't yet..."

Data felt cornered by this. This man was a fine debater but not because he could use eloquent words or logical arguments in any particularly extraordinary fashion. He was challenging to argue with because he knew Emma... he had to admit better than he did. He'd never had to face any such conflict ever in his life before! The dispute was not based simply on logic or rationality. It was overwhelmed with strong emotions, implications, doubt and the manipulation of all of the above, and he was not sure if he was ready to handle anything like this! The gap between what his rationality dictated and what his emotions screamed at him to do had never been wider ever before in his life: rationally he knew he had to question Emma about all that Ed'd told him and draw conclusions based on both of their statements, but his emotions roared at him to simply break the neck of this liar and abuser and be done with it!

Even though Ed didn't completely understand Data's inner struggles, he could very well see the seeds of doubt he had planted in the other man's mind - and he smiled satisfied as he looked into his eyes. However, Data didn't have time to decide on how to handle the situation. The entrance door opened, and Emma stepped out with a smile on her face:

"Hey, Deadpan, aren't you coming..." she let the door swing shut behind her as she spotted her husband standing next to her lover "...in yet." she finished in a sigh. She turned her head to Data and tried to search his eyes. He held her gaze for a moment then somehow something made him bow his head. Emma understood right away, and all her desperation, all her frustration welled up in her with such force that she felt she could scream! No! She strode to them and grabbed Ed by the collar "You son of a bitch! What did you tell him?!" she demanded, and Ed tried to fend off her attack only half-heartedly.

Data grabbed her from behind and pulled her away from her husband: "Emma, stop it!"

Ed straightened his suit and cleared his throat with a slight smile as he gazed into Data's eyes then looked at Emma, who, though stopped struggling, was not let go by Data "Nothing, ma chérie. Nothing that your behaviour wouldn't betray in a short while, anyways." Emma looked up at Data now with tears of frustration in her eyes, and gasping for breath. Data only looked at Ed as he went on "I take you have a lot to discuss, so I'll be on my way. Good night!" he nodded politely to them and walked off into the darkness.

When Ed was off, Data finally let Emma go, who swirled around and looked at him exasperated and out of breath. Data gazed into her eyes for a moment then glanced away forlorn. She let her tears fall as she watched him standing there a few inches from her, and yet isolated by a wall of doubt. And in that moment, as her hands came up into fists in her frustration, an overwhelming sense of determination flooded her mind. This was the last crime you committed against me, Ed Jones! The last one! she swore to herself, and a strange tranquillity possessed her she never before felt.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, and sorry for the delay in updating. I hate it when real-life interferes with what's really important, but sometimes it happens :S Please leave a review, your feedback is much appreciated! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**The Italics contains some stuff that I'd say is between M and T - but nobody's gonna really like it, I suppose... The rest is T, though.**

* * *

 _Emma finished the last touches on her make-up and turned her face around in the mirror to check the final result. She smiled satisfied and then stood to check herself in the tall mirror in the corner of the room. Oh, this dress was just fabulous! Just what she imagined she would wear on her big night! Her smile widened as she saw her husband coming up behind her and hold her by the waist lovingly._

 _He bent his head and kissed her bare shoulder - and it seemed his hunger was awakened by her taste, because he went on kissing a trail from the nap of her neck to her ear. She sighed and then chuckled as she felt her knees weaken by what he was doing "We're gonna be late..." she whispered, and he turned her around to kiss her fully on the lips._

 _When he finally let her mouth go, she gazed into his dark eyes gasping: "You're ruining my make-up, Monsier Jones."_

 _"You won't need any make-up for what I have in mind, chérie..." he replied and claimed her mouth again pulling her to him in a tight embrace._

 _Emma broke away and took his face in her hands "We'll be late from my premiere!" It was her first big motion picture, in which she was the protagonist. It was a silly, little romantic comedy - but it was all she ever dreamed of since she was a little girl, and it WAS her break-through!_

 _Ed sighed, and a weary expression appeared on his features "Ah, chérie, must we?" he asked, and as a look of genuine shock and disappointment appeared on her exquisite features by even the idea of missing her big night out, he shook his head seemingly taking it back at once "Ah, forget it, chérie. Of course we must, I'm sorry..." he told her and pulling away, he went to pick up his suit._

 _When the shock wore off, Emma looked after him worried. She knew that he was having troubles in his work and that he was very tired. She'd been concerned about him for a while, but he always tried to seem so strong - and she was so proud that her husband was so solid like a rock, even if it made her worried for him at the same time. She walked up to him and as he put his suit on, she reached up to him and brought his lips down to hers for a short kiss. After a few moments, she broke away and smiled up at him "Your mood will lift, when you see my movie. It's so nice and funny! You'll enjoy it! And I want you to share my moment of glory with me so much!"_

 _"I know chérie, I know." he told her tiredly and put his forehead to hers "But if you knew how tired I am of people, of crowds... How much I need to just spend a peaceful night with my beautiful wife without thinking about all the scheming of my opposition, about all the problems that... ah, forget it... This is your night, chérie. You worked for it so hard. Forget what your selfish husband says who wants you only for himself! Ignore what I said!" he pulled her close and kissed her on the neck wrapping his arms around her "I'm not important..." he whispered, and her heart lurched at seeing him so vulnerable, so frail yet so selfless. She wanted nothing but to hold him close and make his troubles go away. Nothing else mattered._

 _She pulled away and took his face into her hands "Never say that! You're the only one that's important! Nothing and nobody else ever is!" she told him with tears in her eyes and kissed him on the lips passionately._

* * *

 _It was a strangely climactic sensation for her to feel how pleasurable it all was for him, and she did feel a certain contentment as he rolled off of her and held her close from behind. But as she turned to her side, and her thighs brushed together, a tremor of frustration rippled through her still hungry body. She sighed shakily, gripping her pillow and shutting her eyes tightly._

 _Ed cuddled up to her from behind tightly "Oh, you have no idea how much I needed this, chérie. You're so amazing." he told her and gave her a kiss on the shoulder. He then settled more comfortably behind her and slid his hand down her side to her groins and then between her legs. Another tremor ran through her, and she moaned quietly in pleasure as he brushed against her most sensitive areas - oh, maybe! Maybe he realized! Oh, please! she prayed helplessly, her hand instinctively clutched on his._

 _And then she heard him smile "You're insatiable, aren't you?" Her only answer was a small whimper and some helpless writhing as he pulled his hand away "You know the saying, chérie: the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." he gave her body a gentle squeeze where his hand rested now on her stomach "Sleep now. Tomorrow you'll need to deal with the press blaring about why you missed your premiere." he told her and felt him give a kiss on her shoulder again._

 _Her heart sank at the thought. "Bonne nuit, chérie!" she heard, and in a few minutes, remained all alone with her fears and frustrations in the darkness as Ed's gentle snoring filled the silence and she felt his arm becoming heavy over her body. She shut her eyes and buried her face in the pillow as tears ran to her eyes - oh, just stop it! You're the one to be blamed! Why do you need to be so miserable?! Why can't you let yourself go when the opportunity is there as he does himself?! She wiped her tears and stopped crying, but it took her a good few hours to fall asleep._

* * *

Emma sat on her bed in the darkened room swinging back and forth manically as her tears rolled down her cheeks. She bit her fingernails almost obsessively so, and finally, she noticed that she was trembling. She took her hand away from her mouth and pulled Data's jacket more tightly around herself. She buried her face into the garment and felt that its embrace was her only comfort as she heard their conversation play out in her head over and over again.

"What did he tell you?!"

"That you were a drug addict and were hospitalised in a mental institution... Is it true?"

"Would you believe me, if I told you one way or the other?!"

"Why don't you just answer? Why don't you just let me decide what I believe?"

"So then, yes! Yes, it's true! It's all true! Are you happy now?!"

"No! No, I'm not! ...Why didn't you tell me before? Why do I have to learn this from your husband? How am I supposed to trust you, if you don't give even a fragment of trust to me?"

"...So then maybe, you'd be better off not trusting me at all, Deadpan..."

No, she was wrong! She was talking before thinking again! She wanted him! She wanted him to trust her! To know her! To believe her! And he was right... He had the right to know all these things. And yes, it was the worst scenario ever, that he learned it from Ed. She swallowed hard and wiped her tears. Is it ever gonna be over? Am I ever gonna be free of this? Edmond Jones! You took everything from me! Everything! But I'll turn this around you ruthless monster! You'll regret ever to be born!

She stood up determined and went to the desk. She wrote a short note on a tiny piece of paper, and standing, she walked over to Data's room. She looked around considering where she should put it: in a place he would surely find it, but just as surely, nobody else would. As she turned around, the jacket started to slide down her shoulders, and as she caught it, she got an idea! She took it off and tucked the note inside one of his pockets. She just pulled her hand out, when the door opened, and Data stepped in.

They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment in the dim light. She then walked to him and pushed the jacket into his hands. He tried to search her eyes, but she turned her head away and walked back to her room. He watched what she was doing with a troubled frown. She picked up her long coat from the rack and put it on. He strode to her and stood beside her:

"What are you doing?" he asked on a low voice, but he could barely hide how upset and angry he was.

She swept her hair out from under the coat and pulled the two sides together to tie the knot on the belt. "What do you think, genius?" she taunted glaring at him, and stepped away from him to the door.

He leapt to her and put his hand on hers, where it was on the handle "Where're you going?" he asked barely believing that she was doing this!

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow "Out."

She could see that he was losing his patience, still he seemed to try to answer her as calmly as he could "Emma, I'm supposed to protect you. You can't go out alone."

She looked into his eyes challengingly "Just watch me, Deadpan!" she taunted and turned the handle under his hand.

"Em, stop!" he called after her as she simply slid through the crack of the door. He strode after her as she jogged through the hall, where the others were talking, sitting around in armchairs and a couch. She took the sight of them in only on the periphery of her mind as she concentrated only on her goal to get out of the building as fast as she could! "Emma!" she heard Data's voice again, and she bolted through the entrance. The others stood taken aback as Data ran through beside them, and she could hear the cracking voice of the Admiral calling after her "Lieutenant Jones!"

But she didn't stop. She ran over the dark garden - she hoped her memories of the now dark path would not betray her, because she knew she couldn't simply outrun Data, she needed the advantage of knowing the place. She then got out on the street. It was lit by lamps on tall posts, but it was almost completely deserted. After a few meters of jogging, she spotted just what she needed at the corner: a cab! She looked back and saw that Data was only a few meters behind her, now running - his jacket still in his hand.

She started to run as if the devil was five steps behind her. Data could see now that this was no joke on her part, she WAS about to run away all alone into the dark night, whoever knew where! He ran as fast as he could and caught up with her at the corner "Emma, stop!" he called again, and reached for her just the moment, she jumped into the cab. She slid out of his grasp into the car and shut the door in one motion. He could hear her commanding the driver to make a move. "Em, open up!" he called and was about to reach for the handle to rip the door off of the goddamn vehicle, when it started with its tyres spinning. "Em!" he shouted and started to run after the car with all his might.

Emma looked out of the rear window - he was amazingly fast, he almost caught up with them. "Step on it!" she commanded.

"As you wish, doll." the driver growled and as the car sped up, she could see Data's figure shrink and then disappear in the darkness. She rested her forehead on her fists with a sigh and tried to calm her breathing.

Data ran until he lost sight of the car for good. He then stopped and looked out into the empty street fenced by the tall lights at the sides. His hands came up into fists - only then did he notice that he was still clutching his jacket. "Shit!" he yelled after a moment, and in his frustration, threw the jacket as far as he could out on the road. What was he supposed to do now? Where was she going? To her husband? Who knows what she had in mind, maybe she would simply try to strangle the man! He took a deep breath to try to calm his neural pathways going crazy under his frustration. "Use that fancy positronic brain of yours... and carry out your mission." he scolded himself by repeating the words of Commander Riker given him during his mission to Tau Sigma Five.

He walked up to his jacket and crouched to pick it up, when he spotted a bright light at the corner of his eye. He turned his head just to see that a car appeared from around the corner, and he had to jump to the sidewalk to avoid being hit by it - his jacket was not so lucky.

He stood up and gazed after the car frowning. The street was otherwise empty. It was not mere coincidence that THAT car was racing after the cab Emma was in. Just as she'd told them: as soon as they leave their lodgings, they would be followed. Suddenly, he got a thousand more reasons to find her! He started back to the residence, but after a few paces, realized that he'd left his jacket on the road. Ah, sometimes it was really annoying even to himself that he was such a 'neat-freak' as Emma called him, but he just couldn't leave it there on the street - he'd throw it away in the nearest bin once he got back, it was so torn and dirty anyways. He ran back for it, and picking it up, he rushed back for the others.


	21. Chapter 21

After dinner, the Captain, Bev and Juliana sat down in the entrance lounge to socialize and relax after the long day. The Captain sat in the enormous armchair which almost devoured his petite form, while the two ladies sat next to one another, on the couch, to his side. Beverly propped her chin up on her fist, her elbow resting on the armrest of the couch and looked at Picard curiously.

"So, Jean-Luc?"

Picard raised his eye-brows "So, Beverly?"

"What are your impressions?" she asked pushing him with a small intrigued smile.

The Captain sighed thoughtfully musing "Well, the accommodation is first-class, especially compared to the standards of the 21st century, the food is superb, the wine is exceptional, the negotiations couldn't go any smoother and the Premier is more than cooperative." he counted down all the impressions they were given in the last seven hours, during their time on the planet.

Beverly frowned and straightened her back "Is that it?" she asked, and her disappointment was palpable.

"Yes." he nodded raising his eyebrows seeming surprised by her question. Then after gazing into her incredulous eyes for a moment longer, he leaned forward, taking something out of his pocket. Propping his elbows on his knees, he fumbled with the small object, which Beverly came to recognize as being his combadge. She squinted and tilted her head curiously as he tipped a tiny switch at its side, and then put the badge down on the table in front of them.

He steepled his fingers rather smugly and smiled raising an eye-brow "I just thought we could use some privacy before discussing this topic." he motioned to the combadge "A personal favour from Commander La Forge. I asked him to dig himself into all the 21st century methods of surveillance to come up with something to counteract them... in a discrete way, of course. This is what I got from him just before we left the Enterprise. The small addition to the combadge emits a signal that interferes with all frequencies that any 21st century bug could use for eavesdropping." he shrugged almost unnoticeably "Of course, the explanation about its operating principles was a lot more thorough, but I wouldn't be able to recite more of it, even if were to die." he chuckled.

"Brilliant!" Beverly smiled with sparkling eyes "Why don't we all have such badges?" she asked puzzled.

"I tried to suggest something like this to the Admiral, however it seemed he was a lot less fond of the idea than you are, Beverly. Though I'm not entirely certain why." he added, and his previous smile was replaced by a troubled frown.

"Quite strange, I'd say..." Bev winced not really wanting to think about what the Admiral's reasons could be for such a decision - because all that popped in mind was not appealing at all...

Picard turned his palms up for a moment "To answer your question, I've never been more convinced that something is out of place than during the course of this meeting we just had."

Beverly gazed at him in mock-relief, she leaned forward too "You got me worried there for a second, a moment ago, Jean-Luc."

He shook his head and looked at the ladies with a serious expression "It's all too well set-up. All through the five hours of the negotiations, I couldn't shake off the feeling that we're here only to provide a settings for a play already written and well-rehearsed."

"Me too." Beverly nodded, and Juliana nodded her wordless assent too.

The Captain went on "Premier Jones' manners are so unblemished in such a stressful situation as changing a regime that I really admire his nerves. In the dawn of a new era, wouldn't you feel a little nervous, Beverly?"

"I certainly would, Jean-Luc." Bev smiled conspiringly.

"But then where's the catch in all this?" Juliana spoke up finally as puzzled as the others.

Picard shook his head "I don't know, but I suspect, Doctor Tainer, that once we get our answer, we won't like it one bit."

Beverly grimaced musing on "It's just too big a sacrifice to give up all the power he has. And it's all for what? For the benefit of the people? It seems that WE have all the aces in the stack: he wants OUR help, and WE get the dilithium. In a democratic system, he might even lose the elections. It seems, he gains nothing on this."

Picard nodded with a hint of excitement "And this is exactly why he seems so honest! There's no pay-off. At least none that the naked eye can see. However... if I think back to my conversation with Lieutenant Jones about this man..." he looked at Beverly who seemed now really troubled "She described all the dealings with her husband as a game of blind chess. If we can believe her," he held up a hand before Beverly could protest "and I want to believe that it is so, we might be missing something."

They looked at each other uneasily and let these thoughts sink into their minds as they leaned back in their comfortable seats.

After a good few minutes, Juliana spoke up again on her silent, calm voice. "There's but one thing Premier Jones might gain on this." The others listened to her intently as she went on "If it's true that they don't use technology beyond the 21st century, they are sitting on a treasure chest they cannot unlock."

"Explain, Doctor. Please." Picard asked in tense attention.

She adjusted her position on the couch to be able to look at them more comfortably "Data has discovered that they've traded dilithium earlier, along with a myriad of different ores and minerals. However, when we examined his results again paying attention only to the exchange of dilithium, and ignoring all the rest, it became very clear that they stopped trading it a few months ago."

Beverly and Picard exchanged glances "Why would you stop trading the biggest treasure of the alpha-quadrant?" Bev asked the obvious.

Juliana went on "You might have run out of it altogether - well, we cannot verify this because of the kelbonite covering most of the planet, shielding everything underneath from the scanners. However, since the Premier promised the Federation huge deposits of dilithium, it's hardly an option. I'm also almost completely sure this is not the case. Because of scientific reasons."

"Please elaborate, Doctor." Picard asked intrigued and Juliana went on.

"Dilithium normally can be found in large deposits deep within a planet's crust, around ten-thousand meters. This is also the reason why it can cause tectonic stress. In rare occasions, however, it is found nearer to the surface, between five hundred and two thousand meters. But these deposits are scarce and small. If we believe the premise that the Epsilon Four colony uses only technology of the 21st century, those smaller deposits are the only ones available for them to mine. If they still have dilithium to offer to the Federation, even though they stopped trading it themselves, I'd rather suspect that they've run out of dilithium available for mining with their technology. And they need some help from the 'future' to get to the rest!"

Picard and Beverly watched her stunned. Then the Captain nodded faintly as he remembered "I vaguely remember, you already mentioned something like this on the first briefing, Doctor Tainer."

Juliana smiled forgivingly "I don't blame you, if my previous explanation didn't leave a memorable impression in your mind, Captain. That briefing was quite eventful."

"That might be an understatement." he agreed returning her friendly smile.

Beverly held up her finger in explanation as she put together the pieces of the jigsaw that they had so far "So Jones wants the technology to mine the dilithium, and tries to turn the regime around, so that the technology required would not be banned. So he could do the mining legally too."

Picard nodded "Makes more sense to me than the eloquent words 'for the benefit of the people'."

Bev snorted "Knowing Ed, I'd definitely agree."

The Captain looked at her suddenly curious as he realized they'd never talked about this before "How do you know him, Beverly? Through Lieutenant Jones?"

Beverly shook her head "Not exactly. By the time he became Emma's husband, I've already known him for quite a while. Suffice it to say, I was never really happy leaving Emma here with him. I..." she trailed off as she saw the Admiral approaching, and as the Captain noticed him as well, he quickly hid his combadge in his pocket once again.

"Admiral." he raised his head catching his gaze.

"Picard. Ladies." the old man nodded to them politely "May I join you?"

"Please!" the Captain motioned to the armchair opposite the couch and the Admiral sat down. He seemed tired but quite satisfied.

"Well, I suppose we can venture to say that we are on the very best way to have a successful mission. Don't you think?"

Beverly and Picard exchanged glances, but then the Captain nodded to the Admiral "The negotiations certainly go exceptionally smoothly. As a matter of fact, we were discussing our impressions. I'd be really interested in your insight, Sir."

"All our previous concerns seem to be groundless. The Federation will gain a great ally and a reliable source of dilithium! At the times we're living, it is worth all the effort! If only all of our team could understand that!" he added grimacing, and all three of them understood at once whom he meant.

"Surely, we all do, Admiral. Otherwise we wouldn't be here." Picard answered him patiently.

"Yes, but being here and being cooperative for the sake of the mission are two separate things. It's a wonder the Premier doesn't hold a grudge over Lieutenant Jones' extremely rude behaviour."

"If I may remind you, Admiral," Beverly smiled at him coldly "Emma never wanted to come. If Premier Jones required her to be here, he should put up with her 'extremely rude behaviour' as well."

The old man shrugged frowning "I'm not talking about the Premier's point of view here, Doctor Crusher. I'm talking about Lieutenant Jones. Even if she has marital problems with her husband, she's still a Starfleet officer, whose objective is to focus on the mission and not on personal issues. I hope she'll cause us no trouble." he grimaced again.

Beverly was about to reply, when all of a sudden Emma ran through the hall without even a glance at them, and they heard Data shouting after her to stop. They all stood alarmed, and the Admiral also made a futile effort to stop her by calling her name, but she was already outside the building - Data rushing after her.

They looked at each other worried and perplexed, and the Admiral's frown deepened "It seems I've jinxed it!"

* * *

Emma sat in the cab still burying her face in her hands. She was stupid. It'd have been enough to give him that note - but at least it was quite authentic how he ran after her. If he had seen the note before, it'd have taken some more explanation for him to play along for her façade. And the one thing they couldn't do was talking in that goddamn bugged room.

"That guy is pretty hell-bent, doll!" the driver remarked after a minute with some munching on his chewing gum.

Emma raised her head confused snapping out of her reverie "Wha?"

"A car's followin' us." he nodded toward the mirror, where the lights of the car behind them shone blindingly bright.

She turned back again and saw the car that'd almost hit Data "Step on it, cabby!" she told him on a low voice full of tension.

"Are you owing him, doll? Or wha?" the driver asked with a lopsided grin.

"A lot..." Emma breathed watching the car getting closer "But that's not him."

The young guy chuckled as the cab accelerated, and the other car seemed to lag behind "Other thugs to collect their dough? You sure as hell seem popular, doll. Hey, will you have the money for the ride at all? I accept payment in nature, if you're in trouble, darling!"

Emma turned back and squinted annoyed "You'd have to haul my ass around in the city for the rest of your life to get even, so don't even dream of it, pally." she smirked.

The guy turned one of his palms up taking his hand off the wheel for a second "Hey, just trying to be nice here! You seem to need all the help you can get." She glanced back and saw that the car was gaining on them again. The driver then spoke on a tensed voice after another few seconds "I don't wanna shatter your illusions, doll, but this old girl's not gonna be enough to outrun them." he said referring to his old cab and then shrugged with a frown "Besides, I don't wanna get into any dirty business, not even for the gratitude of someone like you, honey!"

Emma looked out to check the buildings around them to get her bearings. They were still quite far from where she was going to go. And she knew there would be no point in trying to lose them with this car. She looked at him with a smirk snorting "You're one hell of a smooth-talker. Chicken!" She nodded toward the tram-tracks running next to the road; a long tram passed on it quite slowly not far ahead of them "Just take over the tram. Maybe that will not be such a big challenge, now will it?"

"They'll surely catch you in THAT, doll! But you know what you're doing..." the driver told him raising his eye-brows.

"Say a silent prayer for my precious little ass before bed, will you sweetheart?" Emma taunted as they overtook the tram, which was about to roll into its stop. The cab slowed down, and Emma hastily pushed some money into his hand "Keep the change!" and she was out, running to catch the tram almost before the cab stopped completely.

The tram was about to start, when Emma jumped up the stairs and pushed herself through the closing doors. She steadied herself by grabbing a handle as the tram started with a jerk, and she looked out of the window into the darkness. The car following her slowed to the pace of the tram, and kept on steadily going after her. She took a long, deep breath, and turning, she took a few wobbly steps in the gently rocking vehicle to find a seat for herself.

The tram was quite deserted - just as the streets. There were only a few passengers, most of them seemed dirty enough to be homeless people. She collapsed into a lone seat at the middle of the car and gazed out of the window. Her reflection was tired, and she sighed. Just find that note Deadpan, she kept on repeating in her mind as she watched the city run by next to her.

The tram line passed close to the biggest river of Ethel city. A small smile crawled instinctively on her features as she watched the beautiful bridges over the water lit by a myriad of lights passing by one after the other as the tram bumped along its spectacular line. She tried to hate herself for it, but being here again, seeing the city that was her home for ten years, in this timeless, unique moment, she felt more homesick she ever before had on the Enterprise.

It was not true that Epsilon Four took everything from her. It gave her a lot too. It gave her an opportunity to be herself more than ever before or after. She found her true calling. And those years were the happiest of her life. And the most free! She sighed - You're fooling yourself! While you were free and careless, people were fighting for their freedom, and YOU helped in breaking them! YOU helped the propaganda with your silly, little films and stupid scandals taking all the attention from the real important things! And you stood by and watched as an entire colony of people got fanaticized into such utter listlessness, mindlessness and blindness that the regime could easily convince them that being oppressed is just the best thing that could ever happen to them! You collaborated just as Ed did. You with your silence...

' _Among the guilty, an accomplice who is mute!_ ' she repeated the one quote that always drummed on in her mind ever since she realized what exactly had happened to the colony she once called her home. And now she was back home again. She let out a long breath. She felt she had no choice now, but to follow the one path she saw so clearly paved out in front of her as if it was a tram-track next to the river bank lit by tall lights.

* * *

 **A/N: the quote is from _Babits Mihály_ , a Hungarian poet, from the poem " _Book of Jonah_ ". He wrote it in 1938. The translation of the line is mine.**


	22. Chapter 22

Data entered the building of the residence with such momentum, that the entrance door almost swung out of its hinges. He stopped short when the others surrounded him.

"What happened, Commander?" the Admiral asked him seemingly irritated.

He let out an exasperated breath "I wish I knew, Admiral. She left. I could not stop her, she got into an automobil. A taxicab. It is a type of vehicle used for transportation of passengers..."

"I know what a taxicab is!" the Admiral cut in shouting "Why did she leave?! Where was she going?!"

Data shook his head and looked at Beverly as if he was asking for help "She never told me, where she was going. As to why she left..." he bowed his head ashamed "We had... a quarrel... of a personal nature." he confessed finally.

The Admiral's eyes blazed hearing this "Personal nature? PERSONAL nature?!" he asked apparently getting more and more infuriated with ever word he uttered "Has everybody forgotten that they're Starfleet officers here?!" he blew up seemingly losing all of his self-restraints, and stepping close to Data, he started shouting into his frightened face "You're here on a mission Commander! Have you forgotten it?! You're here on this mission only because of MY leniency, and you're abusing that by committing the exact same mistake you were court martialed for in the first place!"

"Admiral, please..." the Captain tried to interrupt his tirade, but it seemed it just fueled his anger.

"Silence!" the old man ordered him, and every one of them stood there taken aback and quite intimidated by the small, frail man as he went on shouting with Data "On a mission, there's NO personal quarrel, NO personal feelings, NO preferences, NOTHING! Only your duty! If you're not able to wrap that positronic mind of yours around that, I won't give a damn about what Ms. Jones will say to it, I'll relieve you of duty and send you back to the Enterprise, right into the brig for insubordination! Did I make myself clear, Lieutenant Commander?!"

"Crystal clear, Sir." Data replied on a very small voice. And to the complete shock of everybody, bowing his head, he wiped unshed tears from his eyes.

Beverly swallowed hard seeing that: it was difficult enough to endure being shouted at as a grown-up, but he WAS pretty much a child in a lot of respect still - and she was sure he'd never been shouted at by a figure of authority ever in his life before, but surely not ever since he'd had emotions. It must have been a devastating experience. Especially, in front of everybody - even his mother. She looked over at Juliana who stood there shaken, but just as helpless as they all were.

The Admiral went on glaring at him hostilely "Don't think that tears will break my heart! You're no schoolboy..."

That was the moment when Picard gently pushed Data back by the arm and stood opposite the Admiral "That will be quite enough, Admiral!" he told him on a low, hard voice locking his gaze with the old man's.

"Picard! What do you think you're..." the Admiral started, but the Captain cut him off.

"Mr. Data here understood your point, Sir. Moreover, his hearing is better than any of ours, therefore, shouting is not only unnecessary but also contra-productive. Mr. Data is under my command, just as every member of the Enterprise crew. Therefore the responsibility over his actions is mine, and mine alone." he was not too happy to confront his superior in front of their subordinates, but it seemed he had no choice. He couldn't let this continue, he just couldn't.

The ice-cold eyes of the Admiral blazed with fury, but before he could blow up again, they all heard Data's silent voice.

"It is alright, Captain! The Admiral is right." everybody gazed at him stunned and confused "I made a mistake. I am sorry about it. However, I would like to remedy the situation. Thank you, Captain Picard for standing up on my behalf, however I am also willing to take full responsibility for whatever happened tonight as well as any future consequences Lieutenant Jones' running away may have."

They all gazed at him speechless. The Admiral suddenly seemed to become very embarrassed, which he tried to hide by setting his chin high and gazing straight into Data's eyes "Let us not discuss the matter of responsibility, now, shall we? There will be plenty of time for that once we found her." he gave a hard look to the Captain to make him understand he was in for trouble...

Picard ignored him and looked at Data "Data, do you have any idea where she might have gone? Did she mention any place she'd go to, if she needed accommodation? A friend perhaps whom she could visit?"

Data shook his head with a heavy heart "I do not believe she'd be going to any such place."

"Why is that, Data?" Beverly asked speaking on a lot more silent voice than she intended.

"Before she ran away, I talked to her husband. He spoke of her past on Epsilon Four. A past she'd been reluctant to share with me. Once she realized what we'd been talking about, she got very upset with her spouse... I believe she would be going now to HIM. To settle their differences." he explained trying to sound as professional as he could, but his voice was silent and had a heart-breakingly rueful edge to it.

The Admiral growled in annoyance "To settle their differences! Knowing her, she'd rather just make matters worse!"

"Admiral." Picard spoke up "Since you know the Premier the most, and your relation to him is the most informal, it might be wise, if YOU could talk to him. If Ms. Jones didn't go there, her husband might take the news of her going missing easier from somebody he knows than from any of us."

The old man grimaced irritated "I was just about to suggest that I'd contact him." he told them with a patronizing look "Make yourself useful, until I'm done, and figure something out, Picard!" he spat and then left them alone. The Captain let out a long breath looking after him.

"I'll check around in her room." Beverly offered "Maybe I could find something useful that would give us a clue."

"Good idea, Beverly." Picard complemented turning his head to her.

"I'll help you, Doctor." Data offered, and going through the corridors, he voiced another idea he had "We might also try to have the Enterprise locate her combadge. She might have it with her. Though the chances for that are low."

"Right!" Beverly nodded as they stepped into Emma's dark room. They stood there a moment longer before it dawned on them that the lights would not come up automatically. Data turned to the wall beside the door and turned on the lights. Beverly had to blink for a few seconds before her eyes became used to the bright light. By that time, Data was already pulling out one of Emma's drawers and checked around in it - he threw his jacket carelessly on her bed.

Beverly fetched her combadge as Picard and Juliana appeared in the doorway - not having anything better to do, they wanted to help.

Juliana walked over to the bed and took Data's jacket into her hands gently. She frowned as she now noticed how dirty it was, even more so when she saw that it was also torn at places. She looked over at him and noticed that his face was dirty too, just as his other clothes. She stepped over to him and put a concerned hand on his arm, where he was looking through Emma's stuff. He looked at her surprised by the touch - almost alarmed - and with a hint of irritation over the distraction.

"Yes, Mother."

"What happened to you? Your clothes are all dirty, and you too..." she reached out with a gentle hand and tried to wipe the dirt from his face.

"Don't be concerned, Mother." he told him taking her hand from his face "An automobil attempted to run me over, however..."

"What?" Juliana gaped and paled at what she heard "Are you alright?"

"What?" Picard asked catching his last sentence, and stepped to him to fully listen to him.

Data looked at now both of them a little annoyed "...however, the only thing that got actually hit was my unfortunate jacket." he finished his sentence then squeezed his mother's hand in his "Please, don't worry, Mother." he told her with a tense smile, and letting her go, went back to the task of checking around in Emma's things.

Juliana watched him for a moment longer concerned then held up the jacket and looked at it to see how much it was damaged.

"I'll throw it away later and have another replicated, when I return to the Enterprise." she heard Data's nonchalant voice.

"I could repair it for you." she offered him on a silent, caring voice.

He shrugged "Unnecessary. The replicator is capable of making another one exactly like this, therefore it'd not worth your time." he waved her away without even looking at her.

Beverly just saw the disappointed and hurt expression that clouded the elder lady's features, and it occurred to her that she might have to talk to Data about his mother - at another time.

"Crusher to Enterprise." she called pressing her combadge.

"This is the Enterprise, we read you, Doctor." they heard Deanna's voice coming through the comlink. She took up the night-watch since Data was not available. She then added on a friendly tone "Go ahead, Beverly."

"Deanna. Hi! Could you please locate the combadge of Lieutenant Jones?"

"We certainly could, but, is there something the matter?" Deanna asked concerned.

"Well, we don't know yet..." Beverly started, but they suddenly heard Data's voice coming from the corner of the room, where he stood by an open drawer.

"Forget it, Doctor. It's not important anymore." he told them on a low voice that now had a hint of exasperation. They looked at him and saw him holding Emma's combadge in his hand. They all looked at each other crestfallen.

"Do you still read me, Beverly?" they heard Deanna's voice after a few long moments.

Beverly sighed and tried to overcome the sudden, all-consuming worry that she felt "Yes, Deanna. Please ignore my earlier request. It seems we need to find her without your help."

After a pause they heard Deanna again. This time, her voice seemed troubled "If there's anything we can do..."

"Yes, thank you, Deanna, but right now there's nothing you could do. Crusher out." she closed the comlink and looked at Data "You didn't find anything useful?"

He shook his head "She barely brought anything. A few clothes, that's all. No padd, no books, nothing... not that she has a lot of things at home to begin with." he told them silently.

The door opened, and the Admiral came through "I just talked to Premier Jones. He hasn't heard of his wife since he left here. He sounded pretty concerned."

Data raised his head sharply at this, and his features became hard as if they were carved in stone. That man was the cause of all of this! Emma would never have run away, if she wasn't as upset as she was, but ever since she became aware of the destination of this mission, she'd been upset virtually all the time! And based on the cold, clinical, cynical way Jones told him about her past... he started to grasp the basis of her being upset quite well. He was just about to voice his doubts, but the Admiral went on.

"I go now over to the Premier to try to appease his worry. And you, Picard, better figure something out, while I'm gone, because if this mission fails on a hot-headed, good-for-nothing Lieutenant, who has already been under YOUR command for two months, I'll have your head before Starfleet Command!" he rasped then turned to the door.

That was the last drop on Data's already strained, nearly overloaded neural net! His hands came up into fists, and he took a step towards the Admiral - not even fully knowing what he wanted to do to him once he'd get to him, but he knew he could be fairly innovative, if it was required of him! However, Picard stopped him with a firm hand on his arm and a hard gaze.

The Admiral fortunately didn't notice anything of the scene, just simply walked out the door and was gone in a moment.

Picard looked at his friend with an enviably calm expression "Mr. Data, I'd normally suggest anyone having troubles with anger-management to take a cold shower, however in your case I believe it'd be quite pointless. So will you just please sit down and take a few deep breaths."

Data glanced at him with a disenchanted expression then collapsed onto the bed slouching "I apologize, Captain." he breathed.

Picard shook his head firmly "Hmmm... Whatever you were about to do, we all had similar thoughts on our minds, I believe. But there's no point in making an already bad situation worse."

Beverly looked at the Captain with a small, proud smile then smothered the expression and glancing from him to Juliana - who stood there still clinging to her son's jacket as if she was holding her own son close - her gaze finally rested on Data. Her heart lurched at how lost he seemed. She had to do something for him.

She stepped to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked at her just as surprised as he did when Juliana touched him, but this time, he had no irritation in his eyes. Juliana noticed it too, and her heart sank even lower than it already had.

Beverly smiled at him "Data. You know as well as I do, that Emma is the one person who knows this city, this colony, better than any of us. She's lived here for a very long time. I'm sure she's alright."

Data let out a deep breath and nodded "I want to believe the same thing, Doctor Crusher." he then gazed at her with desperation clearly written all over his face "However, I should've told you earlier, that a car was following hers. The one that almost ran me over. I do not presume those people had no malicious intent... But even if they didn't. She is out there somewhere, alone, in the dark, in the cold, believing that none of us trust her, that we all confide in her husband instead... and that I'm angry at her too..."

They all looked at each other not even trying to hide their worried expressions.

* * *

The tram took Emma to a part of the city that was commonly known as 'chicago'. Most people living here didn't have a regular income from a legal source, while you could find all the stuff that you ever wanted, let that be legal or illegal, and nobody even batted an eyelash as long as you could pay for it. There were several huge factories, plants and other types of industrial lots, both used and unused, making it fairly easy to hide from the authorities - if that was your goal.

She took off at a tall, monster of a building that had been used as a production hall of a factory long gone out of use, before it was turned into a club. Emma looked up at the enormous building made of brown brick turned black at places from the toxic fumes of the industrial surroundings, and she felt a sense of trepidation, as if her heart was squeezed by a fist. She always hated this place. Hated the people inside, especially the men. Hated their looks on all and any women. But she had no choice now, she turned her head toward the dark alley, where the car that had been following her ever since, parked, then took the few paces to the entrance of the building and giving it a hard push, she entered.

Inside the air was stale with smoke and alcohol and many other things she didn't dare to recognize. Some music was blaring so deafeningly loud that her eardrums felt like giving in to the assault as the rhythm was ramming against them. As she looked around, she was not entirely sure whether the semi-darkness inside was caused by the purposefully bad illumination or the smoke that was so thick, she thought she could cut through it only with a sharp knife.

She pushed through the crowd of dancing people to get to the bar. She sat on a bar-stool and glanced behind, above her shoulder for an instant.

They were there. Two burly thugs in suits - pretty much out of place in chicago. They got so close that from the corner of her eye, she could see that they pushed a wildly smooching couple out of their booth, so they could sit in their place to have as clear a view of her as they could. Ed, your freaking thugs are dumber than ever, she thought and had a very hard time paying attention not to glance toward them by accident, to lull them into the illusion that they were unnoticed.

"Em? I can't believe it, it's you! It's really you!" she heard from her left, and as she turned, she saw the bartender gaping at her. He was a middle-aged, balding guy with a really stupid moustache she could never understand - and a bowtie, which she could understand even less! He looked pretty much like a referee of a box-match, which she'd always found rather ridiculous.

She gave him a small smile "Lou."

He went on gaping at her "How long was it since I last saw you?"

"Too long. But I'm here now." she raised her eyebrows in mock-hurt "You don't even invite me, hon?"

He chuckled and shook his head "Haven't changed one bit!" but then raised a bottle and put a glass in front of her "For old time's sake!"

Just as he was about to pour the liquid into her glass, she put her hand above it, and he stopped in the motion just before the beverage could spill on her skin. He looked at her questioning, and she smirked "I'd prefer something stronger. A lot stronger, hon."

The smile disappeared from his features as he put down the bottle and propped his elbows on the counter "I figured that since you stopped coming here so suddenly, you either quit... or you're dead..."

She took her hand away from above the glass "I'm neither." she fumbled in her pocket and pulled out some banknotes "You don't need to invite me." she put the notes on the counter and pushed to him leaving her hand on the money. He grimaced apparently not really fond of the idea to serve her after all these years, but he did straighten to reach below the counter. When his fist came up above it again, Emma took his hand and gave it a hard squeeze as she leaned to him to talk into his ear "I also need a favour, hon." she told him, and though he looked confused, he finally nodded, and leaning to him again, she explained what she needed.

She then gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and finally took the small sachet full of a white, crystalline powder from him. "Thanks, hon." she hopped off the stool "Just take care o' yo'self!" she heard him from behind, but she didn't give him a backward glance, just pushed through the crowd to the ladies room as quickly as she could.

Before long, three, burly bouncers approached the two burly thugs that'd been Emma's tail, and a smaller fight broke out. When she heard the screaming of some girls and the sound of breaking glass and furniture, she peaked out of the restroom with an amused smile. She waited a good quarter of an hour, then left through the back-door, which led to the neighbouring alley.

She stopped short and pressed herself firmly into the dark doorway, when she spotted the two thugs. They were swearing and wiping blood from their hands and faces into their posh suits, where they were standing at the opening of the alley, below a small lamp that hung from another back-door. One of them made a phone call, and she listened intently to overhear it.

"Yeah... Yeah, she did... We saw her buying it, just as you said she would... No. No... We were bounced... No! Yes, sir. Yes, sir." the man added on an obedient mantra as if he was some sort of a soldier that really amused Emma. Then he ended the call "We're done." he declared to the other thug, and they left the alley to go for their car.

When she saw the vehicle pass by the alley, she stepped out onto the street and watched it leave. She took a deep, liberating breath "Check-mate, ma chérie. This game was mine. You always forget that pride goeth before a fall, you know me far less than you might think you do!"

A chilly wind blew through her thin coat, and she pulled the two sides more tightly together as she started out into the dark, autumn night. This time, without a companion.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you liked the noirish feeling to these chapters! I certainly liked writing them, and some more is coming up! :) Tell me what you think, your feedback is always appreciated!**


	23. Chapter 23

_Emma just finished changing from her costume into casual clothes in her dressing room and sat down in front of the mirror to brush her hair, when there was a knock on the door. She turned her head to the sound with a frown, but then turned back to the mirror with a shrug and said on a raised voice "Just leave the flowers outside with the guard!" she said and went on brushing her long hair._

 _To her surprise, the door opened, and she heard the voice of a man saying "I have no flowers."_

 _His voice was alien, and she turned to him shocked and frightened. A tall man in a very expensive suit stood in the middle of her dressing room. He seemed to be over sixty, but his eyes were sparkling with life and vigour - and his features were dashing. Was she not scared to death, she'd even dare say, he was handsome in the classical gentleman-like way._

 _But she WAS frightened shitless by the stranger-intruder, so she jumped up from her make-up chair with blazing eyes "Who are you? Get the hell out of here!" she even took a step to him threateningly - then stopped when she realized that she'd have no chance at protecting herself from him with a freaking hairbrush... "Where's the guard?" she asked now with a slight trembling in her voice. From time to time, there'd been fans who were a little too eager to meet her - but this one was an old man! What if he was a REAL psycho or something?!_

 _The man smiled smugly turning his palms up "I offered him a cigarette. And some money to smoke outside under the starry sky." he said glancing at the ceiling._

 _Emma's frown deepened "Then that'll be his last cigarette to smoke in his life! Who the hell are you?!" she asked now really upset._

 _"Earl Mils." he said simply with a polite nod of his head then smiled, this time a really friendly smile "I didn't meant to scare you, Ms. Jones. Please... just relax! I just wanted to talk to you, but you're not taking my phone calls. I supposed a more direct approach would be more effective. And it seems I was right. Now, you're at least talking to me."_

 _She snorted and let her guards down. She knew this man. He was an agent. He'd been trying to contact AND contract her from the beginning of her career. She folded her arms in front of her chest, though her brush sticking out at the side of her arms' embrace made her posture rather ridiculous... "What makes you think that I need an agent?"_

 _He didn't flinch from her challenging gaze "You fired the last one a month ago. And Epsilon Four is not profuse in agents, especially not in good ones, Ms. Jones."_

 _She snorted again, this time it almost turned into a chuckle "Your smugness is quite exceptional." she shrugged and turned back to the mirror "But I don't need an agent. You're just a bunch of losers who have no idea what I really want. I decided to take things into my own hands." she said nonchalantly and went on brushing her hair as if she didn't even want to take note of his presence anymore._

 _"With not much success I hear. You got only a supporting role in the next feature of the studio, even if the main role fits you perfectly." he replied on a very calm and confident voice._

 _Emma frowned. It was a VERY sensitive spot for her. She'd have been given the role, if they could have agreed with the managers of the studio and the director of the film on her payment and on the fact that she wanted to have a word in the development of the script with regards to her character. However, after a short time, the negotiations came to a halt, and finally, they cast another actress on the role. One that didn't argue that much. She was very disappointed at how helpless she felt about representing her interests throughout the negotiations._

 _She put down the brush in front of the mirror and turned back with a seemingly nonchalant expression "I'd have more time for my private matters with a minor role. This was just what I wanted."_

 _He crossed to her and stood right in front of her to look deep into her eyes "You spent two weeks in and out of negotiations and lawyers to end up in a role that you could do with your eyes shut. For such a talented actress as yourself, I'd have expected a better lie than this lousy one." he chuckled impudently._

 _Emma glared at him furiously "Because YOU could represent my interests better than that!"_

 _"As a matter of fact, yes, I could." he nodded with a delighted smile._

 _It just fuelled her anger "How would somebody who comes from the middle ages know what'd be the best for the most popular actress of the colony?" she asked mockingly._

 _Earl didn't waver "If you're referring to my age, I'm not from the middle ages, I'm only thirty years older than you."_

 _Emma couldn't help it, she had to laugh "Thirty?! Only?!"_

 _"If you're referring to my experience with being the agent of celebrities, you can always check my CV out. I've sent it to you... a few times. My career started on Earth... well, in the middle ages, actually." he mused chuckling._

 _Emma's frown returned - she felt really uncomfortable with men who were her father's age, she really wanted to get rid of him! "I don't care. I don't need an old man anywhere in my life." she told him bluntly "So if you'd excuse me now, I'd like to finish changing. Close the door after yourself." she commanded and was about to turn back to the mirror. To her utter shock, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. She glared at him, and this time, the fright returned to her features. He noticed her reaction, but he wanted to get his point across, so just went on on a calm voice._

 _"What you need is somebody to be honest with you." he let her go, when he felt that she would listen to whatever he had to say "And you won't get that with the kind of agents you had so far: young, over-ambitious and head over heels in love with you. Those are not agents, those are snotty kids drooling at your autographed pictures. You never got what you really wanted, when such a youngster represented you, and I don't blame you for throwing all of them out. The problem is that when YOU represented yourself, you got a big slap on the face, didn't you? I could protect you from both such disappointments."_

 _Emma had to admit he was right. Moreover, he wasn't simply right, he spoke as if he knew her life from the inside out. She raised an eyebrow sceptically "In exchange?"_

 _Earl turned his palms up "I sent you my contract. I stated my needs there. Read it. Think of it as a home work." he told her knowing that he'd won the match already then turned and walked to the door "Give me a call when you're done." he said and pulled out a business card from the inside of his suit to put on the cupboard by the door._

 _"I hate home works." she pouted sulking, folding her arms stubbornly._

 _He turned his head back to her, but his hand was already on the handle "Then it'll be even more useful. You'll learn to appreciate it when I read YOUR contracts, so you wouldn't need to."_

 _She threw up her hands with a wry chuckle - this man was unbelievable! What was he thinking?! "If you really think I'll give you a call, you're crazy!"_

 _"If you really think you'll get by all alone, then I'm in good company!" he taunted her with a small smile then his expression became grim "You and I both know, this is a world where men dominate the decision making in all walks of life. Whether we like it or not, it doesn't matter. You need to abide by their rules first, to get enough attention and power to be able to make a change later."_

 _This time, she looked into his eyes shocked. Making a change - any kind of change - on Epsilon was not something that could be casually discussed, especially not with a stranger! He was honest! AND crazy! ...And he was also out of the door already._

 _Fifteen minutes later, Earl's phone rang as he was driving home._

 _"I won't read your freaking contract. It's a hundred pages long! I'll doze off before getting to page 3." he heard her voice and chuckled._

 _"So then we're at a stalemate."_

 _"I'll sign it, if you summarize it for me." she told him nonchalantly._

 _Earl almost dropped his phone hearing her being so careless about such an important matter, but tried not to show his shock to her "How about meeting for lunch tomorrow? I'll explain it to you why it's irresponsible to do such a thing, and will go through the papers with you."_

 _She sighed disappointed "So I should be prepared for the most tedious of all the lunches I've ever had."_

 _He chuckled "Well, then choose a good restaurant, so we could at least have decent food while we bore ourselves to death."_

* * *

She was wrong. It was one of the most inspiring, most interesting lunches she ever had.

Her career skyrocketed after signing with Earl. And before long, he became her closest friend on the colony. She hadn't seen him for two months and now standing at his door, she missed him more than ever before. She felt her heart raced in anticipation as she knocked.

A young man let him in, some others - some of whom she knew and some whom she didn't - were around as well as she walked through the corridors. Then she entered the living room alone. It was a huge space with comfortable armchairs and a wide couch around a fireplace. The light was dim, only the fire painted the walls and the floor in an orange light. The door closed behind her, and she looked around squinting in the semi-darkness until her eyes got used to it.

A figure then emerged from the darkest depths of the room "Is that you? Is that really you, little bird?"

She heard his voice, and her throat closed "Yeah..." it was all she could utter as he stepped opposite her, and she saw him in the light. In sharp contrast with his usual very elegant suits, he now wore a shabby tweed sweater - and he seemed visibly older than she last had seen him. But his blue eyes were sparkling with life the same as they always had! "Yes, it's me, Earl, oh..." she breathed and hugged him tightly.

"I can't believe you're here!" she heard his voice muffled in her hair, and a relieved chuckle blurted through her lips.

"But I'm here!" she whispered and planted a loving kiss on his cheek.

They embraced barely noticing their flowing tears.

* * *

Beverly watched Data with a grim expression on her face as he was sitting there on Emma's bed wrapped up in his sadness and worry. She went over in her mind what he'd just told them so desperately about how alone Emma must have felt, and a thought occurred to her "Something... is out of place here..." she said slowly, but then never went on, and finally, the Captain tried to catch her daydreaming gaze.

"What is it, Beverly?" he asked finally.

"Oh, I just..." she looked around at all three of them "Something doesn't add up here. Jean-Luc. Is your 'combadge' still... functioning?" she asked making quotes with her fingers referring to the transmitter feature Geordi had implemented in the badge to avoid being eavesdropped on.

Not having been present at the conversation when the Captain showed off Geordi's newest invention, Data looked at them with a puzzled frown "What ar-" he started, but the Captain just waved him off.

"Later, Mr. Data." Picard told him absently, and taking the small object out of his pocket, he checked it and nodded to Beverly "You may speak freely."

Beverly looked at Data "Data, you're sure Emma ran away, because she thinks that we don't trust her? Did she tell you so?"

Data nodded "Just before she ran off, she didn't state any reasons, however she's been saying this for two days now. I concluded this was her reasoning."

Beverly shook her head "No, something else must be in this. She knows that even if nobody else does, I'd surely believe her. I've known her husband for a longer time she does, and she knows I've always been against her getting married to him. She has no reason to believe that my opinion changed in a day. Even if she thinks that all others think that her husband is innocent like a lamb, she should have come to me. Instead what is she doing? Running off blaming everybody for trusting her husband. Even if for a stranger, it'd seem to be very much like Emma, I've known her for decades. It's not like her at all!"

Data felt as if a huge bucket of ice-cold water was poured on his already enraged neural net. Did he really judged Emma's reasons so poorly? Did he know her so little while priding himself on the opposite, that it never even occurred to him to doubt what he concluded?

"So what do you suggest that means?" Picard asked on a tense voice now really intrigued.

Beverly shook her head again "I'm not sure. But what if, this was not the heat of the moment? What if she planned this all along? Just waited for the right moment, when everybody would consider her running away to be part of her capriciousness."

Data decided to put his self-doubting aside for a little while, and he looked at Beverly questioningly "What do you think her goal might be, Doctor Crusher?"

"I don't know, Data. But if she has one, we might be able to find a clue to conclude it." she answered excited.

At this, Data slumped back into his disillusioned state of mind "I've checked all of her belongings, Doctor Crusher. There's nothing. No clues left behind."

"We might not find anything here, but what if something's up there!" Beverly pointed upwards, and as Data stared at the ceiling for several long seconds, she slouched rolling her eyes and added "I mean up there, Data, on the Enterprise. In her quarters."

Picard nodded "Good idea, Beverly."

Data felt even more self-conscious because of his faux pass than he'd been before - though he was down in the dumps already. The whole day was just horrible! He couldn't remember the last time he felt so upset and agitated in his life! This standing around and chit-chatting was really the last straw. He shook his head impatiently and stood "Most of her belongings are in my quarters. I'd know about it, if there was anything that could give us a clue. She brought virtually nothing from Epsilon Four. We might spend a lot of time, and would gain nothing on it." his voice was full of tension and the others noticed the repressed aggression too - very much unlike Data.

"So what do you want to do?" Juliana asked worried seeing him so agitated.

"I go out and find her." he told them as he went to the neighboring room.

They followed him and watched him as he was looking for something among his stuff. Picard tried to reason with him "Data, it's a huge city out there. There's very little chance that you'd just bump into her. Especially, that she knows the place better than you do." he told him patiently, but Data's feelings took the better of him.

"I know!" he snapped at his own Captain turning to him "But I'm not going to just sit around!" he told him going back to poke around in his stuff.

Beverly and the Captain exchanged worried glances, and she tried to reason with him too "No one asks you to! But it'll just make matters worse, if we're acting unreasonably, like you do now! It's not at all like you!"

Data swirled around and glared at her "Screw being reasonable!" he blurted shocking himself even more than the others, who just looked at him baffled as he went on spreading his arms helplessly "Maybe... maybe the court martial was right after all! I do need to have my emotion-chip turned off, because right now in this present situation, I haven't even the slightest idea how to act reasonably." all his words reflected a lot of repressed emotions boiling under the surface, all too ready to blow.

Beverly's heart sank as the realization hit her. He really had no clue. He had no clue how to deal with as strong emotions as he was experiencing just now when a loved-one was missing during a mission. It was something they'd learned to do even as cadets or in their very first years assigned to starships as part of their jobs. But Data never had the chance to learn the same gradual way they had and was never given the time to adjust. Even if he seemed fine with all of his emotions most of the time, it must have been very difficult to deal with all of them all of a sudden - and there must have been a turmoil in his head right now.

She looked over at Picard, who watched his android friend with a troubled expression. After a moment, he nodded and turned to her "Beverly. Go back to the Enterprise. Try to look for anything among Ms. Jones' belongings that might help us. If you find something, you'll be able to reach us through our badges." he looked back at Data "I'm going with you."

"Captain..." Data started to protest, but Picard cut in.

"Yes, Mr. Data, I'd like to believe that you still consider me THAT, and obey my commands." he told him on a flat tone to which the younger man shut his mouth with a sulking expression, and Picard went on "Bring your combadge, and a phaser. I'm bringing mine too. Let's be prepared!" he said and left them alone to go back to his room.

Data after some more fumbling around in his stuff, finally managed to find his Type-1 phaser which was so small that it could fit into his palm, and so was easier to hide. He now only needed his combadge. He looked at his mother and held out his hand for his jacket:

"Mother, please." he asked on a silent voice, and as Juliana gave the torn garment back to him, sinking his hand into one of the pockets, he fetched out his combadge too. He dropped the jacket on the bed carelessly and felt the side of his trousers to look for a pocket he could put the two small objects into. But these were his uniform trousers that had no pockets at all. Whenever they had to wear a side-arm or have a tricorder with them, they'd have a belt for that. Obviously, it'd be too visible now.

"No place to put them away?" Beverly asked chuckling watching him so caught up in hesitation.

He grimaced "I have no other jackets presently."

"What's wrong with this one?" she asked not having heard their conversation with Juliana from the very beginning.

"Ah, it's..." he picked it up and held it out to her "...torn and..."

"And you know that if a certain someone was here, she'd immediately point out that you're a fashion-freak to be so concerned about how you look!" she chuckled trying to lift the mood a little.

He growled silently rolling his eyes not cheered up even a bit and just as the Captain was coming through the door again, he put his jacket back on and sank his two hands into both pockets to hide his phaser and combadge in them.

His eyes widened in surprise as one of his hands met a piece of paper.

"What is it?" Juliana asked concerned seeing his expression.

He pulled out the paper and looked at it frowning puzzled.

"What is it, Data? You look as if you found the result for the equations of the universe." Beverly asked too smiling.

"I don't know." he whispered staring at the paper stunned.

"What do you mean you don't know, it was in YOUR pocket." the Captain told him and crossing to him, he stood next to him to look at the paper. And a surprised frown appeared on his features too.

"What is it?" Beverly asked now alarmed by their strange behaviour.

Picard raised his head from the paper still in Data's hands "Coordinates." he answered simply instead of his friend who seemed to be standing there dumbstruck.

Emma looked into his eyes as he crossed the door. And she pushed the jacket right into his hands gazing into his eyes so intensely! She gave him the clue! She put it right into his hands! It was there! It was there with him all along! And he almost... A tremor ran through him, and he took a long breath feeling himself very close to be completely overwhelmed by his emotions - the processing utilization of his emotion-chip was almost a hundred percent!

Nobody noticed his inner struggles. Beverly looked into the Captain's eyes and felt a huge stone rolling off of her heart in relief "She did have a goal. She wanted us to go after her. To find her."

"But why? And where?" Juliana asked what they all had on their minds.

"Well," Picard looked at them with sparkling eyes "let us find out!" he said with the enthusiasm of an explorer - it was a riddle, and now that his instinctual attraction toward riddles kicked in, he wanted to solve it!

"Let me take my tricorder, Jean-Luc, one moment!" Beverly told them and returned in a minute with a small side-bag fitting the fashion of the 21st century, her tricorder hidden inside.

He pressed his combadge "Picard to transporter room 2! Three to beam to the following coordinates!"

But before he could finish, Juliana cut him off "Please, Captain Picard. I'd like to go as well."

Beverly and the Captain exchanged glances again, and Beverly winced "Wouldn't it be too suspicious that every one of us left? Even you, Doctor Tainer."

"Emma is my son's close friend. It's understandable that I'm concerned about her and want to try to find her too." Juliana replied wringing her hands then added on a low voice "Please don't leave me here with Admiral McKinnley."

All of them understood. Who would want to engage even in a simple polite chat with a man who previously humiliated her son before her very eyes?

"This is Ensign Joffrey speaking, Sir. Awaiting coordinates." a voice from the transporter room answered through the comlink - and Beverly was grateful for the semi-darkness they were standing in because her cheeks became impossibly red on hearing the voice of her 'special friend'.

Picard never noticed, just looked into the pleading eyes of Juliana for a moment longer thinking - she was a civilian no doubt, but she was also an android even if she didn't know about the fact. She was not as fragile as she seemed. "Make that four, Ensign. The coordinates are the following:" he took the note from Data - who still stood there rigid, petrified - and read out "34.083687, -118.319611."

"Acknowledged."

"And Ensign!" the Captain interrupted before Joffrey could push the button.

"Yes, Captain?"

"This communication never happened, and we never beamed to these or any other coordinates. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir! As you wish, Sir! Please, prepare - not to be beamed!"

The Captain smiled seeing that the young Ensign DID understand, and a moment later, their bodies dissolved into small particles.


	24. Chapter 24

When all the shiny little particles integrated, they rematerialized and found themselves outside of a huge gate made of brick with two arches. There was a grate at the top of the arches made of wrought iron turned into intricate patterns. However, it was all very weathered: the bricks visible in the arches were plainly not meant to be seen, and the grate was rusty. There would have been some sort of a sign on top of the arches, but most of the letters were missing, so they had no idea where their good fortune (and Emma's note) had brought them. Looking through the gate though, it was plain that the place was a huge complex of buildings, and not only one house.

"Do you have any idea where we are? Looks like some factory or depot... or neither..." the Captain tried to guess, glancing to his sides to the members of his small team, but they all shook their heads.

"Should we go in?" Beverly asked looking inside the gates.

"Emma has given THESE specific coordinates." Data replied "I believe we should wait for her here."

Beverly winced "Knowing her special relationship towards numbers, she might have meant the other side of this... well, whatever this complex is."

The Captain nodded looking once again around "I'm also on the opinion that we should take a look around inside the gates. We can come back out once we found out what this place is."

They wordlessly acknowledged and filed through the gate to arrive at a huge artificial plain, made of concrete. There were buildings all around it, but it seemed time was not generous with them either and though it was plain that they were numbered for some reason, not one had any signs or labels that were clearly legible. All of them seemed uniformed, no windows, once painted white, but the paint had long come off at most places. They walked on slowly, looking around curiously trying to figure out where they were.

"Which way?" Beverly asked as they stopped in the middle of the plain.

"What is that?" Juliana pointed to the direction Data was looking.

"They seem to be cottages made of wood, Mother. I wonder what buildings of that kind are doing inside what seems to be a factory." Data answered - and Juliana noted relieved that he sounded a lot more calm than he had seemed at the residence.

"No, Data, I meant THAT... thing..." she pointed to the left from the cottages.

They followed where she was pointing and saw a container of some sort standing on very high and thin legs.

Data was the only one who recognized the structure "It is a water tower, Mother. Centuries ago, such structures provided storage of the necessary water supply for use in many applications. It is constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize the water supply system for the distribution of potable water. As the water falls from that height, it would be under the necessary pressure in the pipes required to travel great distances." he explained in detail as they started to walk again.

"I'd like to see these smaller houses." Captain Picard guided them towards the cottages "Maybe somebody might be living inside and could give us some information on what this place might be."

They walked another few minutes and arrived what seemed to be a tiny village of cottages. Data was reminded of one of the holodeck sets long gone with the Enterprise-D. It was the set created by Worf's son, Alexander, and the child showed it to him after he and Geordi tried to unsuccessfully interface his brain with the ship's computer, resulting all of the characters in Alexander's story look just like him! It was a baffling experience to meet so many of himself, even knowing that all were holodeck characters. But the set seemed to be the same: small houses, dirt roads, and a recreational facility with doors that neither reached the threshold nor the lintel. He was thinking about telling them his association but decided against it - he had been doing and saying quite enough silly, out-of-character things today, he didn't want to get anybody even more worried for him than they'd already been.

"I know I might sound crazy." Beverly started slowly on a small voice as they were walking among the small houses "But I feel as if we were walking in the ancient Wild West of the American continent of Earth!"

Data turned his head sharply to her - so he was NOT going crazy!

Picard looked at her quite uncomfortably "That's exactly what I wanted to say, Beverly."

"I'm glad, I'm not the only one feeling as if they were walking in some sort of a twisted dream." Juliana told them, and the fright was palpable from her slightly trembling voice.

Data finally looked at her and with his emotions now calmer, he had enough resources to conclude that his mother could use some reassurance. He put a soothing hand on her arm and gave her a small smile. She smiled back relieved and grateful for his concern. As he looked around however, he stopped short and cocked his head looking at the house next to them.

The others stopped too, and Picard looked at him questioningly "What is it, Data? You know, I was thinking, we should knock in and check whether anyone is home..."

"Nobody is home, Sir." Data cut him off tilting his head from side to side taking a step closer to the house.

"You sure?" Beverly asked "How can you tell?"

"I can tell, because this house is not fit for living." he turned to stand opposite them "To be accurate, this is NOT a house. It's a façade."

"A façade." Picard repeated with a stunned frown.

"Yes, Captain."

Beverly took out her tricorder and checked the buildings around them "No life signs reading, apart from our own, Captain. And the mass of the buildings seems to be a lot less than it should be, if there was ANYTHING inside, including walls!"

Juliana looked at them with confusion and fear written all over on her face "Why would anyone build a village of façade in the middle of a factory?" she asked on a small voice - the place became creepier with every passing moment.

"I do not know, Mother, but look there! There's another instance of a façade!" he pointed to their right. They took a few steps to get a better view on where he was pointing. The village ended nearby, only one or two houses away from where they had been standing. At the border, an enormous tank of water started and behind the water tank there was the blue sky - painted on a wall! It was just as weathered as the buildings, but in the bright light of the two full moon's of Epsilon Four, the pattern was clearly visible.

"Good god!" Beverly whispered putting a hand to her head "I know where we are!" she turned back to them astonished "Emma spoke about this place in her messages. But it was years and years ago, I couldn't remember till now!"

"Explain, Beverly!" Picard urged her.

"This is a film studio! A what's it's called... a studio lot! This is a place where they made movies in the 20th and 21st century. No wonder we don't recognize it with all our holo-movies made in holo-studios - god, they actually built these structures for the films to be used as sets!" she looked around amazed.

"The lengths the colony went to reproduce the 21st century is in itself astonishing!" Picard told them grumbling, but just couldn't keep the wryness out of his voice. What kind of a fanatic do you need to be to recreate even THIS?

"Why is it so worn and torn?" Juliana asked on a calmer voice now, with the creepiness explained, she was a little less frightened.

Beverly turned back to them to look at her "They invested a lot of money in making films in the first years of the colony, as Emma explained. But after a few years, the industry collapsed. In such a small colony, such a huge money- AND resource-consuming industry could never have survived too long. The lot was abandoned. The colony still have movie-theatres though, but they play old 20th, 21st century Earth movies."

"Like Casablanca." Data said silently, remembering Emma telling them about how she knew the film when they were still preparing for Dreamland - she'd gone to watch it with her husband.

Picard cleared his throat and took a small step forward "Now, that our shock wore off, let us make some progress, and let's try to figure out why Ms. Jones could have wanted to lead us to an abandoned studio lot, shall we?"

* * *

Emma was sitting at the kitchen table and devoured a huge bowl of hot soup.

"Careful. It's just come off the stove." Earl told her lowering his slender form into a chair next to her gingerly. She just waved his concern away with a mumble and some blowing on the spoonful of soup she was about to put into her mouth. He smiled at her watching as she was eating "You look as if you haven't had anything in the last two months. Do they not cook well on that fancy starship of yours?"

"Hmmm... not the way YOU cook!" Emma mumbled then looked at him "Tried to get the replicator to make some of your recipes. It asked for the exact molecular structure."

They chuckled, and Earl shrugged apologetically "Can't help you with that." he watched her on with a small smile.

"You could make a very good living from this, if you moved back to Earth." Emma mumbled to him absently as she consumed the last bit of her soup.

"You're forgetting that in the 24th century you don't need to make a living." Earl told her with a wry chuckle. Then as he caught her gaze he added on a low, gloomy voice "You still live here."

She sighed looking away and shrugged "Not that easy to bend your way of thinking after a decade." she looked back at him shrugging again "Sometimes I catch myself worrying about paying for food - then I realize, there're the replicators, if I'm hungry, and there's no money to pay with. Still a dazzling realization. Every freaking time, that is..."

Earl now sighed seemingly very disappointed "Why for heaven's sake did you come back here?" - she was there, she was out of here! And now...

"I couldn't help it, Earl, they made me to." Emma told him defensively.

"Made you to! Who? Who could have made you come back to the one place you have no business at anymore?" he asked, and she could see that even though, he was happy to see her, he was also upset about it. He did a lot to get her off of this planet, to help her get a chance at a new life. She knew he was disappointed that she was throwing that chance away by coming back.

She shook her head never raising her voice a bit "Earl. Who do you think did?"

He bowed his head "Don't tell me, that his hands reach even Starfleet." he told her on a low, shaken voice.

She didn't need to reply, and a heavy silence descended on them.

She finally reached out and took his hand into both of hers. His hand was thin and cold, and she tried to warm it gently in hers. He looked into her eyes gratefully, then she just bowed her head and watched their entwined hands, and entangled fingers as her thumb stroked the back of his hand.

His hand was so old - HE was so old! She felt her heart break under the thought because she knew his condition didn't have to be as fragile as it was, had he been on any other goddamn human colony! He was only 73, not a lot older than Data's mother. But in a colony reduced to the medical technology of the 21st century, his age meant that he WAS old.

She turned her gaze up to look into his eyes to stop herself from starting to cry and smiled wistfully "You know, I was thinking... now that Ed blackmailed me into coming here... there has to be a reason for that! Call me naive, but I want to make a difference! I want to change things here."

Earl shook his head not sharing her belief and enthusiasm at all "I've told you, Emma, the only difference you have to make is in your own life."

"I'm making a difference in my own life too! I'm gonna divorce Ed. That's also a reason I'm here. But not the only reason! I found friends whom I can trust now enough to know that they'd help me, help this colony. With their help, we might be enough to make that difference!" she told him with a belief she hadn't felt for a very-very long time.

He searched her eyes for a long moment with a small smile "I wonder what they've done to the sarcastic, disillusioned girl I said goodbye to two months ago." Emma smiled embarrassed - he was right, she did change. Data and Beverly changed her and the friendly acceptance she received from almost literally everyone on the Enterprise. As she mused, he went on watching her "Friends you say?... Your eyes shine with a different light now, little bird. Is there somebody you're singing to now?"

She met his gaze and giggled softly like a little girl then shrugged shyly "Well... to a very special someone. Someone who sings back to me too! The same timeless, irresistible melody."

"Am I going to meet that special someone?" he asked curiously squeezing her hand where it held onto his.

She nodded eagerly "Very soon! I left him a note to find me."

He chuckled at this a little sceptically "And is he gonna be able to find you?"

She nodded again confidently "He's very smart. He'll figure it out." she sighed "You'll see, he's just... He's amazing! The best person in the whole universe - well, maybe not counting you and Beverly." she stopped and studied his face for a long moment "You know... now that I come to think of it, he takes after you! A lot!"

He laughed a heart-felt laugh "Well, gals tend to choose guys who might take after their daddies - and since I've been pretty much your surrogate-dad ever since we've known each other, I'd suppose it's only natural." he smiled warmly "I'm really honored, little bird."

She smiled and sighed contentedly. She felt a warm glow descending on her heart: she was home, she was fed with her favorite soup, she was talking about her love to the man she'd always considered the father she never had - it was just perfect! She suddenly felt exhaustion catching up on her and yawned.

"Why don't you have a nap? Your room is still the same as it used to be." he smiled lovingly.

She shook her head "No, no, I'm fine. Besides, Data might get here any minute. I want to be up, when he does."

"Data..." he frowned repeating the name "That is one strange name, if I ever heard one."

"Yeah, well..." she grimaced a bit unsure "Maybe I should talk a little more about him, shouldn't I?"

He sighed thinking he realized what the trick was: "And what you're gonna tell me is that, he's a Klingon or some other such kind."

She chuckled as she tried to imagine Data as a Klingon - and fortunately failed "No, no, he's not an alien, he's an android."

He frowned puzzled "Android... as in..." he asked with a small shake of his head not completely sure, where he should be looking for the term in his memories of the 24th century. He hadn't heard it for a decade!

"Oh, he's... He's a... he's kind of a mechanical man. But he looks just like us. Well, normally, his colors are a little different. But right at the moment, you wouldn't be able to tell him apart from another human."

"I don't want to pretend that I understand." he replied squinting trying to follow her somewhat jumbled explanation "Did mechanical people become common in the 24th century?" he asked really surprised "I remember there were lots of robots, but they didn't really look anything like humans."

"No, no! He's one of a kind. He's not a robot, he's sentient - he's just like a human!" she shrugged finally realizing that she wouldn't be able to explain Data's nature to him in any way he would understand "Well, you'll see for yourself, when you meet him!"

"Okay, can't wait for it!" he said with a bit sceptical smile turning his palms up letting go of her hand briefly "Now, let's go back to the living room. You have plenty of stories to tell, I bet."

She smiled and nodded, but just as they got up from the table, the floor began to move under their feet. Seeing her losing her footing, he reached out to her to steady her. The tremor went away after a few seconds, and she looked at him a little frightened.

"You alright?" he asked smiling encouragingly and squeezed his embrace around her for a short moment.

"Yeah, just forgot what this was like." she smiled embarrassed, and he let her go. Tremors were part of their daily lives on Epsilon Four - it seemed that two months was enough for her to... well, to get unused to them.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a young man stepped in gasping "Earl. You have to come! It's Gary."

The elder man let out a frustrated long breath "What did he do THIS time?" he asked on a tense voice.

"There're some trespassers out in the lot. You know how jumpy Gary is nowadays, he... he shot one of them!"

"What?" Earl gaped.

"Earl!" she cut in, her voice full of dread as the realization hit her "Those will be my friends!"

Nothing more was said, all three of them rushed through the door.


	25. Chapter 25

Picard's small team walked out of the Western village and then by the wall of blue sky. It took them another few minutes to decide which way to turn at the water tower: the lot seemed to have a maze of streets and avenues. They finally decided to walk by the water tower too and continue in the direction they were heading so far. The next set they arrived at resembled a city with old, tall blocks, most of them built of brick. Decay was not as visible on these buildings as on the neighbouring ones, they were magnificent in their own nature.

"And these are all façades too?" Juliana asked on a hushed voice.

"It seems so, Doctor." Picard answered "Look at that window for example." They stopped, and he pointed up to one of the buildings upper windows. "You see? The double-moons shine through it. From the inside out."

"Oh, indeed!" she nodded amazed. She looked around and saw the double-moons behind most of the upper windows as they moved about.

It was Data who stopped short again as he noticed something, gluing his gaze on a building at the far end of the set. The others stopped too and looked at him questioningly.

"What is it Data?" Picard asked for the second time that evening, knowing from experience that he DID notice something important.

"That structure, Captain over there. It's not the same as the others." he answered on a silent voice.

"What's different about it, Data? I see nothing out of the ordinary - well, compared to the other façades." Picard answered squinting, tilting his head, trying to see what Data saw.

"This is exactly it, Captain. It is NOT a façade."

Picard frowned almost a little irritated "What do you mean it's not a façade? I can see the double-moons shining through the windows, the same as they do..."

"Those are not the moons, Sir. It's the holographic image of the double-moons." he pointed to the building "That structure, Captain, is a real building disguised as a façade."

They stood there gaping for a few moments, and then walked up to the building.

"Holographic imaging." Picard grumbled "Not the technology I'd name as one coming authentically from the 21st century." he told them sarcastically. Something was way off here, he could feel it in his bones as they stopped at the gate of the holo-structure.

Beverly stood next to the men looking at Data with an amazed smile "This is why she didn't leave more than the coordinates for you to find, Data. She knew you'd find her even where no human ever could." she told him moved by the unique gesture of confidence Emma showed to him.

Data finally let a small smile on his features. She was here! She was inside! Only a few steps away! And she did trust him still! She knew he'd find her!

But just as they were about to try to enter, they heard strange clicking sounds coming from all around them. Looking around a little puzzled, to their dismay, they saw several people with guns in their hands stepping out of the surrounding façades or leaning out of one window or the other. Data was about to reach for his phaser, but Picard's low voice stopped him:

"Easy, Mr. Data." he grumbled silently, and Data let his hands drop to his side. The two ladies stood half a step behind them, and Beverly glanced over to Juliana worriedly. The elderly lady stood there with dread in her eyes, and Beverly felt her heart sink: she must have been terrified. She gazed around: none of the gunman's faces were visible, they wore masks or the shadow of their hats hid their features. The moonlight ran down on one gun barrel or the other as they moved closer and closer to where they were standing and Beverly tried hard to swallow her fear.

The last man to appear came out of the holo-building with a buzz and distortion in the reflected image of the gate. Unlike the others, his face was visible, and he seemed awfully young, especially taking the enormous gun in his hand into consideration.

"Who are you?" he asked pointing the gun at Data "Which one's your boss?"

Picard tried to catch the young man's gaze "I'm Jean-Luc Picard, and we mean no harm. We're looking for a friend." He didn't want to be too direct about the fact that they were Starfleet officer as long as he had no idea whom they were facing.

The kid shook his head "We know all our friends, here. But I don't know YOU. Now what do you make of that?"

"We're looking for Emma Jones." Picard went on, but before, he could say anything more the kid took a step toward him, pointing the gun straight ahead at him.

"No one calls her 'Jones' here! All her friends know how she feels about THAT name! You were sent by that son-of-a-bitch husband of hers, right? Admit it?!" he shouted.

"No! We..."

"Shut up! I'm fed up with your lies!" the kid shouted suddenly out of control "You're lying in the news, you're lying on the billboards, you're lying to the kids in school, you're lying to everyone!" he yelled at them pointing the gun at Picard, and holding it in a visibly shaky hand! The Captain's eyes widened understanding that they were in real trouble now!

Another young man stepped up to them "Stop the tantrum, Gary, and ask the important questions, already!" he scolded the other kid then looked at Picard "How the hell did you figure out where we are?" he asked squinting his eyes suspiciously.

Before the Captain had a chance to answer, the floor began to shake under their feet, and as the gun almost fell out of Gary's hand, he grabbed hold of it so as not to drop it - and the weapon accidentally fired! The awful sharp sound cut through the silence of the night.

The tremor stopped in a second, and the other kid gaped at Gary in panic "Man, you shot him, you shot him!" he shouted and ran inside the building - without having the courage to look over to the trespassers to see who was hit by the bullet.

Gary stood there frozen to the spot, his eyes were glued to a tightly closed fist just in front of a wide-eyed Picard.

Data slowly pulled his fist away from in front of the Captain's chest, just where his artificial-heart was, then opened his palm and simply let the deformed bullet fall to the ground with a metallic click. He then dropped his hand to his side and looked into Gary's eyes with a deadpan expression. The kid grew white as a wall and panted through his open mouth, his eyes wide as a saucer.

Data took a step toward him and held out his hand "I believe that weapon might be more secure in the hands of an adult." the bright moonlight ran over sparkling in the gash the bullet had cut in the bioplast on his palm, making now the underlying metal visible.

Seeing it, Gary was too frightened to think clearly, and with a helpless moan, he pointed the gun at him. But Data was again faster than they could have followed with their eyes. Before Gary could realize what had occurred, Data was already bending the barrel of the weapon he'd held in his shaking hands a nano-second before. "It is even more secure this way." Data added, and Gary watched the inhuman stunt petrified. The other armed guards didn't dare to move or even to breathe either!

"What are you..." the kid breathed shaking like a leaf as Data dropped the gun.

"Gary!" they heard a female voice coming from the building - and Data recognized it immediately. His lips curled upward almost invisibly as he watched Emma rushing through the holographic image of the façade door, with the other young kid in her toes. She grabbed Gary by the arm and gave him a hard shake "What have you done?!" she then looked at her friends "Are you alright? Who did he shoot?!" she asked agitated looking from one of them to the next and the next expecting the worse.

Picard let out a long breath he never noticed he held in for what seemed to be at least an hour "Me, Lieutenant. But thanks to Mr. Data, I'll make it. Thank you, Mr. Data." he told the android.

Data nodded with a small smile "You're welcome, Captain." he replied on a silent voice.

Emma looked back at the kid "You stupid little idiot!" she hit him on the arm "These are my friends! If you can't tell a Starfleet officer apart from one of Ed's thugs just because they don't wear their uniforms, then don't play the big boy with a gun!" she shouted.

"You didn't see what he just did!" Gary pointed to Data, but he couldn't finish, because Earl stepped out of the building, finally, catching up with them a little late. The old, frail man had such a commanding presence that in a moment, all eyes were on him.

He looked at Gary with a strict expression, his mouth was a thin line "You go to your room now!" he told the kid on a low voice.

He didn't have to repeat it, Gary bolted inside without a word. Earl stepped next to Emma and looked over at the small team as the guards behind them dispersed back to their posts.

"I'm terribly sorry for this cold welcome. I'm Earl Mils. The leader of the Resistance."

The Captain stepped up to him and held out his hand "Captain Jean-Luc Picard, from the Federation starship Enterprise. On a mission not at all approved by the Federation." he added with a wry smile.

They shook hands, and Earl nodded "Desperate times call for desperate measures. I appreciate your endeavours, Captain."

He then stepped over to Data and shook hands with him wordlessly, holding the younger man's hand in his for a moment longer than expected - he did look a little like his younger self! God, when was the time, when I was THIS young? he thought a bit nostalgically.

He then greeted Beverly warmly too, knowing that she was Emma's closest friend.

The last one was Juliana. She stood there timidly wrapping her arms around herself, feeling cold and frightened. She regretted coming with them an hour ago already. She was a civilian, not an officer. Facing the Admiral would be horrible, but something she could deal with as a civilian - standing at gunpoint was not!

As the tall figure of Earl stepped to her, she raised her gaze to meet his and time stopped for an instant for both of them. Juliana didn't even know how her hand ended up in his in a long, gentle handshake. She just knew she stared into his eyes and couldn't turn her gaze away. Did this strange double-moonlight and the events of the night take her wits?! He looked so much like Noonian! Even more so than Data! All the more so, because the Noonian she had known had been almost as old as this man seemed.

Earl stood there spellbound too, holding on to Juliana's hand, and Emma watched the small scene with a serene smile. She never realized, introducing the two of them to each other would be so intriguing, but now that it happened, she was more than a little excited about it! It gave her some inexplicable hope to see that you might get old, you might get sick, but love and romance might still find you. Even at the strangest of places and times!

She gazed over at Data. He had eyes only for her, he didn't notice the small heart-warming scene. Perhaps instead, he was looking for a heart-warming scene of their own. She looked into his eyes deeply with a gentle smile - well, we'll see what we can do about it, my sweet, sweet Deadpan!

"Let's go inside! It's too cold out here to just stand around." Earl motioned them inside and led the way. Juliana and Picard followed him, while Emma stopped Data by putting a hand on his arm, when he wanted to walk through the threshold after them, but she looked only at Beverly who was stepping up to them.

Bev gave her a broad smile and a tight hug "God, dear, you're crazy!" she told her shaking her head.

Em pulled away to look into her eyes "But this is how you love me, don't ya, sweetie?" she asked, and they chuckled. Bev let her go, and with a final squeeze of her friend's hands in hers, went inside. She smiled knowingly as she heard Emma's voice from outside just before the gate closed behind her.

"What took you so long?!" she asked Data, and the next moment, she threw her arms around his neck claiming his mouth hungrily with hers.

Despite the fact, that this was the one thing his emotion-chip AND his sexuality programming were both screaming for, from the moment he'd seen her again, he was so shocked, that it took him a full second to finally shut his eyes and all his rational cognitive processes and just give himself over to Emma's passionate kiss. His arms finally came up around her tiny waist, and he held her as close as he possibly could without hurting her.

He couldn't believe this was true. That she was really there! In his arms! Her lips on his, her soft body against his! Oh, he wanted to tell her so many things! To let her know, to reassure her! But his mouth was otherwise occupied, and after a few moments, he lost thread of that thought as well as most others as his emotions required almost all of his resources.

When she finally, had enough, she reluctantly broke away from his lips gasping breathlessly and looked up at him through her long lashes. The cold night air almost hurt, where it touched her mouth still wet from their kiss, and their hot breaths were visible against the chilly darkness.

"Welcome to the Resistance!" she breathed on a shaky voice, and an involuntary smile curled her lips upward as she saw his spellbound gaze locked on hers.

He crushed her into a tight embrace and buried his face into her long hair "You have no idea..." he started on a muffled voice, but she stopped him by tightening her embrace around him for a second "Shhh!"

She reluctantly pulled away a little and put a gentle finger on his still moist lips "Hush, baby... Later..." she whispered then smiling lovingly, she stroked his cheek and gave him a short close-mouthed kiss. When she broke away, she brushed the tip of her nose to his, smiling mischievously at him "Come now!" she whispered, and taking his hand tightly into hers, drew him inside the building after her. He followed her, knowing he'd follow her anywhere!

* * *

 **A/N: Welcome to the Resistance! :)))**

 **Okay, so I really feel I need to give you some explanation about the last few chapters you've just read, so here you go!**  
 **  
First of all, who is Earl Mils? The name does ring a bell to you, Brent fans out there, doesn't it? ;) Well, originally, Earl Mills (with a double L) was the manager of Dorothy Dandridge - now, if you still have no clue about what connection that all has to Brent, then watch the film _Introducing Dorothy Dandridge_. You'll cry your eyes out, but watch it! I loved Earl's character in the film and also his loving, caring relationship with Dorothy. I needed to have something similar here, however I didn't want to write the real person, hence the change in his name. My Earl is pretty much an original character, and not the real or filmed Earl (he's e.g. much older than the man in the film). I came to think of it, Brent has played so many different roles on ST, sometimes even simultaneously - why not give him another one here? :P**

 **What about the studio lot? Now, that's an idea from Brent! In an interview, he was asked once whether there was anything he really wanted to do on ST but never could. He answered that he wanted to have an episode with the characters timetravelling back to our era and going around in the sets and having some adventure in the studio lot of Paramount (the last big lot located in Hollywood). I know he'd have wanted it to be funny, but well, this noirish theme is what I could give you.**

 **What's depicted here is a mixture of what you can find in the Paramount lot now and before 1979, because the Western part was demolished in 1979! ( _A Fistful of Datas_ was shot at Universal, not at Paramount!) Though, I'm almost completely sure, I'll never have a chance to visit the lot personally, I did some research for the chapters here, and Brent's right, it IS amazing! Check it out yourself, you may begin by putting the given coordinates into google maps - now I revealed all my cards ;)**

 **Tell me what you think about these ideas! Truth be told, I was a bit reluctant about them, but I thought, this whole is a big experiment for me, so why not try them out? :)**


	26. Chapter 26

By the time Data and Emma got to Earl's living room, the others were already sitting at the fireplace. Earl in his armchair to the left of the fire, the Captain opposite him in another armchair, Juliana and Beverly on the wide couch in between, all of them sipping hot teas. The light was still dim, but the fire painted their faces a delightfully warm orange. Emma smiled at Data and letting his hand go with a last squeeze, sat in the corner of the couch, beside Beverly to the end farther from Earl - she wanted to let the others sit closer and let them listen to him. Data stood behind her putting his hand on the back of the couch, and fighting the urge to slid his hand to her shoulder to tangle in her hair.

Earl caught his gaze "Mr. Data, please sit down, we might be talking for a while, you'll get tired standing." the elder man told him indicating a chair next to the Captain with an encouraging smile, but Data shook his head.

"Thank you, Mr. Mils, I'll be fine here." he said on his silent voice, and they exchanged a small smile with Emma giving Earl the impression that Data didn't want to sit down, because he wanted to be as close to her as possible. It was a heart-warming thought, and the elderly man smiled faintly, but after a moment, looked at Captain Picard with a serious expression.

"I'd like to apologize once again for what happened outside. Gary's a... very nervous young man." he winced looking for the right word.

"Is he your relative?" the Captain asked lowering his cup from his mouth.

"No. As a matter of fact, neither of them are." Earl replied indicating the other people around and inside the building "They're all refugees in a way, just as Emma used to be. I'm trying to give them a home and a purpose. We all have a past involving some sort of a conflict with the regime and a consequent tragedy. Gary lost his brother, his only relative, not so long ago. He learned that he died in prison a week ago. I believe it's understandable that he's upset."

Picard nodded "It is, however..." a disapproving grimace appeared on his face "what I do NOT understand is why does a sixteen-year-old have a weapon in his hand?"

Earl shook his head, but Emma was quicker to reply in his defence "We never give weapons to kids! He must have stolen it or something!"

The old man nodded and went on "Only adults are given weapons, and we only use them for self-defence. To guard this place mostly."

Picard frowned suspiciously "What about the bad reputation of the Resistance? We were told that you're a terrorist group. Is it another lie then?"

Earl glanced away uncomfortably "Well... for the last two years, it's been a lie."

"What happened two years ago?" the Captain asked on a flat tone, almost as if he was conducting an interrogation.

Earl looked into his eyes with a hard expression on his features "I became the leader of the organization." they gazed at him surprised - Juliana amazed - as he went on "I don't tolerate violence. The government is using more than enough of it against the people, there's no point in making them suffer even more. We have other means to get our point across."

"What do these 'other means' involve? If I may ask, that is." Picard asked a little sceptical about all this.

Earl nodded "Of course. We're trying to put things right where the government fails the people they're responsible for. For instance, we're trying to provide for the poor people, who cannot live from the money they make. We're also trying to keep the people informed. After the last papers that reflected oppositional views have been bought by government-supported publishing firms, we decided to make our own daily paper. Of course, it's illegal, but at least, the people can get information from at least one source other than the propaganda."

Beverly was more struck by his first statement "Are there many poor people?" she asked with a sympathetic expression.

"A lot, Bev." Emma replied on a low voice, and they turned to her as she went on "Officially, everybody has a job so that the statistics look good. But actually, the economy doesn't create as many workplaces as it would be needed. For this reason, the government invented the so called public work. People are employed doing pointless jobs like sweeping the streets over and over again or collecting garbage or raking in parks. They're employed for money that's impossible to live on. Earl usually says it's too much to starve to death but not enough to be fed." she looked over to him.

Picard was still very sceptical and suspicious about this whole. "How do you have the resources to provide for these people without using illegal means?"

Earl smiled a little and shrugged "We do use illegal means, Captain Picard. We have a replicator." he turned one of his palms up "It's old. Barely functional. It can't replicate complex molecular structures, but it can provide the raw materials for food and clothing. It's all the hope these people have."

Emma went on seemingly very enthusiastic now about talking about the Resistance "But it's not the only thing we do! We have associates in hospitals who cure the sick secretly with 24th century medicine. Of course, the means are very limited there as well. Sometimes, we can get the diagnosis, but cannot cure the patient, because we have the necessary diagnostic tools - though they're at least a decade old compared to the ones used on the Enterprise - but we cannot replicate the necessary medicines. But the doctors have become quite resourceful in inventing cures that are accessible by 21st century means. I used to work in a hospital where almost all of the doctors worked like that. Those who didn't, just turned a blind eye, because we all knew, everybody benefited from what we were doing. We barely had to keep anything a secret..." she suddenly grew silent and bowed her head "Well, maybe our naiveté was our mistake." she added gloomily almost as if talking only to herself.

"Was this the hospital you mentioned that was raided?" Beverly asked looking at her concerned.

Emma raised her head and nodded, but her face seemed to turn pale even in the soft orange light of the fire "Yes. There was a patient. We knew he was a hard-core supporter of the regime, but we were hoping that if we save his life, he might understand that this whole is wrong! But he..." she bowed her head growing silent again, and Data couldn't help himself, and put his hand gently on her shoulder as an act of comfort. Emma reached up and held his hand gratefully where it rested on her shoulder as Earl went on for her.

"Apparently, saving his life was not enough to convince him that his beliefs were wrong. He reported the doctors that cured him. The hospital was raided, most of the staff is now imprisoned. Two of them executed."

"Executed?" Beverly asked shocked, and the others looked at Earl with the same expression.

"Yes. If somebody's using illegal medicine or any kind of technology beyond that of the 21st century, especially, if that's somehow an alien technology, that's considered treason. And for treason, the judgement can even be capital punishment. It's rare. But it's also part of the propaganda against technology: they use a malfunctioning transporter. The person is beamed to oblivion..."

When Picard could overcome his shock - which his usual carved in stone features didn't let on - he decided to go on playing the attorney of the devil, still not convinced at all of the intentions of the Resistance to be as selfless as they tried to depict it "Premier Jones assured us almost the moment we set foot on Epsilon Four that the prosecutions and judgements made on the sole reason of political beliefs were suspended as soon as he became the Premier. Is that not true then?"

Earl shook his head "I wouldn't believe that too readily, Captain Picard. He might suspend these inhuman practises as long as you're on the planet, but as soon as he gets what he wants, and the Federation doesn't pay close attention... It'd be naiveté to believe that all would not return to 'normal' once again."

Picard put his cup down on the small table in front of them, and leaning forward, he steepled his fingers "What do you think he wants from the Federation?" he asked locking his gaze with Earl's.

Earl looked back at him seemingly honestly puzzled "Don't you know yourself?"

The Captain turned his palms up for a moment "We do have our guesses, of course." he didn't lower his voice indicating that he wanted Earl to understand what he expected from him.

And the older man did understand: "But you'd like to see, if we're ready to share the information we have before you say anything." Earl finished on a low voice and glanced away thoughtfully for a long moment. There was silence all around them in the dimly lit room, only the sounds of the fire could be heard. The old man finally looked back into Picard's eyes "You see, Captain? This is what Epsilon Four does to people. You look around and see that you can trust no one, you're surrounded by lies. And unnoticeably being distrustful becomes second nature. You don't even think about it anymore, you don't conclude that if we didn't trust you, you wouldn't be sitting here at all."

They were stunned by what he said and thinking about it a little, Picard had to admit, Earl was right. He couldn't believe the smoothly going negotiations and the over-helpful nature of the Premier, but on the other hand, he couldn't believe the complete innocence of the Resistance either. He indeed felt he could trust no one, even if it seemed that finally Ms. Jones was willing to prove her trustworthiness for them. Especially, that Counsellor Troi had warned them: if Emma was to choose between the Resistance and Starfleet, she'd choose the former.

Earl nodded understandingly "It's alright, Captain Picard. I'll tell you all that we know. We have no secrets from the Federation." he told them on a silent, resigned voice, and his disappointment was palpable.

Finally, Juliana was the one brave enough to speak up "Oh, just stop this! All of you! We're all on one side for god's sake!" all eyes were fixed on her suddenly, but she didn't waver - she was used to being the center of attention having taught at universities earlier in her life. She started to explain what they'd concluded that evening looking into Earl's eyes determined "Premier Jones told us that the government wants to trade dilithium with the Federation. In exchange for our help in turning the regime into a democratic one. However, we suspect that the reason behind his changing the regime is not the benefit of the people. We analysed all the information we could gather about the commercial businesses of the colony with Data, and we figured that probably the more shallow seated deposits of dilithium, the ones that can be mined with the technology available in the 21st century has already run out, depriving the colony from a very important source of income. We only could guess, but we figured what Premier Jones really wants is the technology to mine the deeper deposits of the mineral. He can legally use the means the Federation would be willing to provide him, if he loosens the rules of using technology beyond the 21st century. It'd make the colony - or we rather suspect - him personally very rich."

Earl watched her first surprised then amazed: she was so full of life, so determined, so trusting - so very different from everybody around him on the colony! Her face was radiant in the golden light of the fire as she spoke! He couldn't help smiling intrigued as he replied "You're right in many of your conclusions, Ms. Tainer."

Juliana straightened her back and looked at him with a small challenging, almost coquettish smile "I'd prefer Doctor Tainer. That is, if you're unwilling to call me on my first name." she told him, and his smile broadened as he nodded.

"Alright, Juliana that is then. You're right in many of your conclusions. Premier Jones does want the technology to mine the deep depos of dilithium. At least as far as the Resistance is knowledgeable. He wants money, wants to keep his power, and it'd give him a financial security never before seen, even by his predecessor. It could aid him in retaining his power a lot more easily than it was for Premier Hague. However, you're also wrong in some of your guesses. We know from escaped prisoners that they'd been working in the dilithium mines even as recently as two weeks ago. I'd guess they haven't run out of dilithium minable with sheer manpower at all."

Juliana shook her head confused: "But it was plain from the data we could gather about the trades that no dilithium have been sold by Epsilon Four in the last month. What do they do with it then?"

"They don't have warp-capable ships, we'd know about them, if they did." Picard added thoughtfully "So they're not using it for their own benefit."

Finally, Data was the one who spoke up breaking the silence "Perhaps, the reason we couldn't find any traces of it being traded is that they're trading with people we cannot track down."

A very uncomfortable expression appeared on the Captain's face "I gather you're implying Romulans, Mr. Data." Data nodded, but Picard shook his head "I find it very difficult to believe that the Romulans would be willing to break the Treaty of Algeron for such an unreliable source of dilithium as a human colony. Do you really think it could happen that they're crossing the Neutral Zone before our very eyes?"

Data shrugged a little "They do have the technology, Sir. And Admiral McKinnley told you that the mission is important AND classified because there is a possibility that this could happen."

A heavy silence descended on the room at that. It wasn't an easy thing to look into the possibility that Romulans were crossing the borders of the Federation unnoticed or that there were people willing to make business with them even for Starfleet officers. Finally, Picard spoke up on a voice lower than he intended "Mr. Mils, do you happen to have any proof of any of our guesses?"

Earl sighed and turned one of his palms up holding his now cold cup in his other hand "Well... if you mean rock-solid proof... no, I don't have any. What we base our guesses on is really the reports of once-prisoners. But their working conditions are so miserable that I wouldn't be surprised if most of what they've told us were only half-true. The matter of the fact is, Captain, you're not the first to mention Romulans in the context of dilithium mining. Two weeks ago, an escaped prisoner told me just before he died from his wounds, that he actually saw a Romulan at the mine, he was working at. But he was delirious when he spoke about it, and since his description of the Romulan was rather obscure, and not entirely Romulan-like as far as I'm knowledgeable in xenobiology, I wouldn't be surprised that he simply saw things in his delirium. Nonetheless, it seems, we have to consider the option."

Beverly propped her chin on her hand thoughtfully "But then why do they need the Federation to get the technology for mining dilithium? If they already have a connection to Romulans - they have the means to mine the ore themselves!"

Juliana shook her head equally thoughtfully "The technology they use is not necessarily the same as the Federation uses. Mining under three thousand meters require a lot of equipment, and a lot of staff to operate it. Mining at around 10 thousand meters, where dilithium is normally found is even more difficult! It'd be a lot easier to do all this legally than trying to do it in secret. I would guess the selling prices can be higher too, if they don't require any assistance in mining the ore. It's a better bargaining standpoint."

The Captain pondered on what they have figured so far "So they get the technology from us, make it legal by changing the regime, and then trade the ore with Romulans. As crazy as it sounds, it's very logical. And so quite believable."

Earl shook his head clasping his fingers around his cup "Believable, Captain, except for the change in the regime. If I were you, I wouldn't wait for that standing on one foot."

To the puzzled expression of the Captain, Data offered the explanation already having heard the saying from Emma "It means that there'd be no point in waiting for that, Captain, it'd never happen."

"Thank you, Mr. Data, I guessed so." the Captain nodded with a tight smile. He then turned back to Earl "So you're saying that is also a lie?"

Earl nodded "He'll only play along with wanting democracy until he has the technology for mining the deeper depos of dilithium in his hands."

"But the people!" Beverly cut in "Won't they be enraged that no 24th century technology can be used apart from the one used for mining?"

Earl smiled at her naiveté "The people are enraged only if the government wants them to be enraged. They're used to lies around them. Their stimuli threshold is amazingly high up where lies are concerned. And they won't know about it directly. There will be rumours, we will write about it in our paper - but that's an illegal source of information, so it's considered less reliable. The government'll just deny it all. They've become quite resourceful in finding something to divert the attention from their dirty business. The last time for example, when we wrote about the fact that the government trades with the Ferengi. There was a new wave of propaganda saying that there are shape-shifter aliens, which already infiltrated the colony. People paid attention to reporting each other to the police, instead of the hypocrisy of the government."

"You mentioned this to us." Picard looked at Emma who sat there slouching listening intently. She wordlessly nodded.

Beverly sighed almost exasperated "So then, what can we do? How can we prevent the Federation from falling into Premier Jones' trap?"

Picard shook his head "Not much without hard evidence. We cannot go back to Admiral McKinnley with our hunches and tell him that we met the leader of an illegal organization who told us rumours about Romulans. He'd laugh into our faces, or worse, he'd ask for the exact location of this place to use it as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with the Premier. No. We need proof. Irrefutable, rock-solid proof."

"We have to look around at the mines." Juliana spoke up on a determined voice. The others looked at her as she went on "If we find shallow seated deposits of the ore, we will at least have indirect proof of what we've been guessing here. And who knows what else we might find there..."

"Agreed." the Captain nodded "Mr. Mils, do you have the coordinates for the mines? We may take a look around."

Earl shook his head "I don't know the coordinates, but I can take you there, if you like. However, I'd rather recommend a visit there tomorrow. It's not a place like the city with lights everywhere. The entrance of the mines are guarded, and without knowing your way around, you could easily be caught. Tomorrow, I can lead you to the mines, moreover I can help you get in and snoop around a bit."

The Captain frowned thinking about it a little then nodded "Maybe even better if we don't beam there. The less people know about where we're going, the better. But are you sure, that you want to get so involved in this, Mr. Mils? If you give us a map..."

Earl's features hardened at that, and he didn't wait for the Captain to finish "A map won't suffice if you encounter something unexpected. I've helped freeing prisoners in the last years, I know the ways of the guards. And I can assure you, without knowing what you could be facing, you won't be able to improvise. It could cost you your lives."

The Captain seemed to concede as he nodded faintly.

After a moment of silence, Beverly spoke up "What about the Admiral? He'll start looking for us the latest in the morning, if we don't report to him, Jean-Luc." she told him troubled.

"You're right. One of us has to go back." he grimaced thoughtfully "Our cover story is that we're looking for Ms. Jones. She and Data surely can't turn up at the residence."

"Doctor Tainer is needed at the mines." Beverly added.

Earl looked at Juliana concerned "Are you sure? We could bring you samples, if you tell us what we need to look for. In the mines, there are harsh conditions: the air is hot and humid, and there are frequent rock slides - not to mention what could happen, if we get caught by any chance. I'd be a lot more calm, if Emma and you stayed here."

Juliana frowned at his protectiveness "Mr. Mils, I've been a geologist for the last thirty or so years, believe me I know more about conditions in a mine-site than any of you here. Thank you for your concern, but I'll definitely be going."

Earl looked over at Emma "What about you, little bird? Is there any way to talk you out of this?"

"Earl, I'm a Starfleet officer. It'll be fine." she smiled at him kindly.

Beverly winced "So it seems, I remained the only expandable figure on the chess-board." she shrugged looking around "And I suppose, it'd be unwise to simply beam back, I should somehow keep up the façade that we're still looking for you." she told Emma.

"Bev, I wouldn't want you to go around in the city all alone. The streets around here aren't the safest." Emma replied quickly and looked over at Picard.

The Captain sighed knowing he would have to let this mission go, if he wanted Beverly to be safe and looked over at Data "Mr. Data, it seems I'll have to leave this mission in your hands."

"Understood, Sir." the android nodded with a deadpan expression.

"Don't take unnecessary risks, just take a look around and get the hell out as fast as you can. Since you'll need to wait for the sunrise, make sure everybody is rested, there's no point in going there and fighting your own fatigue. In the meantime, Beverly and I will attempt to live up to our cover story: we'll stroll around in the city and report to the Admiral from time to time. Not the most interesting part of the mission, but creating a bit of a distraction is necessary to give you some leeway."

Emma and Data nodded their assent, and after some stirring, the company stood. Picard drew Data away for a word, while Emma did the same with Beverly.

Picard looked deeply into Data's eyes "Mr. Data, please don't take offence for what I'm about to say. There will be two civilians and a junior officer not used to away-missions in your team. Two of whom you care about a lot. If you have even the slightest doubt about your capability to handle this mission, tell me now, and we'll think of some other solution."

Data gazed away clearly hit by what the Captain had said then looked at him with a neutral expression "I'm perfectly capable of handling this mission, Captain. Though... I understand your doubts, based on my previous reactions of tonight." he told him on a slightly bemused tone - he was quite disappointed by his own performance of that day, and so he was not very sure of himself either... But to hear that his Captain was doubting him too... he felt a new emotion, he hadn't before: his pride was hurt.

The Captain raised his hands as he tried to clear up any possible misunderstandings "Data, I'm not doubting your abilities. I'm just saying that even someone more experienced in handling strong emotions might have difficulties in a situation you're about to face. If any of them is in any danger, you'll have to think with a cool head, I want you to keep this in mind. You can't afford to be carried away by your emotions. Just try to concentrate on the task at hand."

Data nodded as his heart sank "Understood, Sir." What if Captain Picard was right? What if something WOULD really happen to Emma or his mother? How would he handle that, if he couldn't even handle the fact that Emma was missing for a few hours?

Emma drew Beverly away to a darker corner "Bev, do you have some Complex-C with you?" she asked indicating a certain combination of vitamins and other drugs that usually senior humans would take at Earl's age on a regular basis.

"Let me check." Beverly looked around in her side-bag - she packed in it a lot more than a single tricorder "Here." she pulled out a hypospray "Is it for Mr. Mils?"

Emma nodded "Whenever the Resistance lays its hands on some of it smuggled in, he'd always give it away to others. Now, he's really thin, I don't think he eats well, and judging by his ice-cold hands, his circulation is not very good either. He's not well."

"Do you know of any illnesses that he suffers from?" Beverly asked concerned.

Emma shook her head "No, he's not sick, it's only the fact that he's over 70 in the 21st century." she walked over to Earl who stood there talking to the Captain and Data, and without much ado, she simply pushed the hypospray to the unsuspecting old man's neck and gave him a shot of the substance.

His eyes widened in surprise, he then frowned irritated: "What do you think you're doing?!"

"No arguing, Earl!" she cut him off with blazing eyes "Tomorrow, you'll need to be in top shape. Do you want to go there like 'Hi, all! Could I have a moment before you shoot us? I need to sit down to catch my breath!', or what? Here!" she pushed the spray into his palm "You take one more shot tomorrow morning. And stop grimacing! And rolling your eyes! And sulking!"

Earl looked at Data bemused "Have you ever tried to argue with her and won?"

Data looked away with a very uncomfortable expression - everybody was looking at him with raised eyebrows and repressed smiles "Well... I'm afraid I'll have to wait for such an occasion yet." he admitted silently, and the others laughed. Data raised his shy gaze to look into Emma's eyes cautiously. And as their gazes locked, the world grew silent and distant, and they remained all alone in the universe, as Emma's sulking expression was betrayed by a slow smile.


	27. Chapter 27

After saying goodnight and good luck to the others, Emma wordlessly took Data up to her room and pulling him inside, she turned on the light. A soft, orange light shone warmly at the far end, leaving the other side of the room in an intimate semi-darkness. She closed the door behind them, while Data took a few steps inside and looked around curious. The room was at the top of the building and a wonderful view of the city could be seen through the tall windows running from the floor to the ceiling. She had a desk and a dressing table at the far end of the room, while a double-bed was standing right under the tall windows. The light barely reached that part of the room where the bed stood, the dark starry sky shone in on the blanket through the glass.

Emma watched as he was standing there in the middle of her large room. He seemed small and lost, if she didn't know better, she'd say he was tired. He must have had a difficult day too. She needed to drag him out of his blue.

She crossed to him and sliding her hand up his arm, she walked around him to stand opposite him. He seemed to tense up from the touch but then relaxed after a fraction of a second. She then slid her hands over his chest, where his jacket was open right over his heart and smiled up at him. He put his hands on her arms a little clumsily as if he was reluctant to hold her to him.

She looked over at him and frowned smiling, taking the sides of his jacket in her two hands and pulling them together to see it better "Now, what have you been doing, while I was not around? What is this? Were you ran over by a tram?" she asked examining the torn and dirty material.

He bowed his head looking at the material with such a troubled frown that Emma couldn't resist, and she poked his nose upward playfully with her fingers. She chuckled searching his surprised gaze, trying to make him laugh too, but he was just too wound up to laugh at the tiny practical joke.

He gazed into her eyes with a deadpan expression "No. By an automobile." he replied on a flat tone.

Her mouth opened in surprise "Ohmygosh..." she stuttered, but then turned her palms up where they were still resting on his chest, not being able to resist an apologetic smile "I-I know I should be asking, 'are you alright'? But the first thing that pops in mind is: were there any survivors in the car?"

Data rolled his eyes exhaling an impatient breath, let her go and just walked to the tall window to look out of it.

Emma watched him for a moment longer and could tell that he was not in the mood for jokes at all, but she tried one last time anyway "What a day, huh? You get hit by a car, get shot at and learn that you're living with a practising lunatic. Who'd envy you? It's a lot even for somebody exceeding human capacity, isn't it?" she asked smiling gently.

Data turned to her with an annoyed expression "The car did not manage to hit me, and it was Captain Picard who got shot at, but otherwise, no, it wasn't a particularly easy day. And for the last topic... it is definitely not a laughing matter. At least, not to me." he shook his head frustrated "Not that the others are."

Emma sighed grimacing as her good spirits suddenly left under his all-consuming gloomy mood "Alright, we're not in the mood for any teasing tonight." she acknowledged wryly then sighed "With your permission, Mr. Commander, I'd like to retain the privilege of making fun of my own mental state, if it's alright with you." He went on looking at her with his usual neutral expression - the one she hated so much, because she could always project something terrible into it. This time, there was hurt and confusion and maybe even fear.

She sighed resignedly and crossed to him again, putting her palms on his chest "Ah, just stop sulking already! I'm trying to lift your mood." she told him stroking him through the fabric of his jacket. She slid her arms around his neck and looked deep into his eyes "I'm so happy that you're here." she told him on a tender whisper and then standing on tiptoes she pushed her lips to his gently.

He wanted to pull away. He wanted to talk to her. To somehow reconcile their differences. But her soft body was pressed to his, her hot mouth was locked on his and, ah, did she know how and where to touch him to make him discard all his rationality. Before long, she stripped him of his torn jacket, and her hands travelled down his chest and abdomen to arrive at his pants. She was about to undo them, when he suddenly broke away and put a hand on hers, where it fumbled at his groins.

She gazed up into his eyes curiously, breathing heavily through her slightly open mouth "What is it?" she asked on a voice somewhere between a whisper and a moan, which made it even more difficult for Data to concentrate on anything else but undressing her...

He shook his head reluctantly "We... we should talk first."

She smiled and naughtily slid her hand over his groins feeling his body responding to her touch immediately "Isn't it enough that our bodies talk, Deadpan?" she asked on a hushed voice and reclaimed his mouth with hers. He responded with a grunt of pleasure, not being able to resist her, he pressed her hand where it was on his pants. She drew him closer, pulling his head down to hers as she went on kissing him passionately.

Then suddenly, he just pulled her hand away from him and broke away from her forcefully. He held her by the wrists holding them tightly in his fists. She watched him as he took a long, deep breath to calm his senses.

Her lips curled upwards in wonder seeing him struggling with his urges so mightily. Her gaze dropped from his eyes so hazy with desire to his still moist lips then locked her gaze again with his "Do you know how sexy it is that you're so strong-willed? That you can fight your desires even though I know how much you want this?" she asked trying to catch her breath and licked her lips - his taste was still there, and she felt herself turning even more on.

He stared into her eyes longingly for a few seconds then let her wrists go and took a step backward. He shook his head "No matter how much I want it. I'm not giving in, Em. Not until we spoke."

She took a long moment to answer "I know..." she whispered and then finally smiled faintly "Thank you." and there was a stunned edge in her voice. He gazed at her puzzled, and she glanced away gloomily, hugging herself, where she stood there by the window. "You know..." she began shrugging thoughtfully "I don't think many guys would try to discard their bodily needs, especially if the opportunity gives itself, just to straighten some stuff with their gals first. Most would just fall for it..." she told him finally looking back at him searching his eyes reluctantly.

Fall for it... Fall for what? The last remark left Data puzzled for a brief moment before, he gaped stunned as the realization hit him: "A test." he whispered "This was another test." Just as Doctor Crusher told him! He frowned as he felt anger welling up in his heart again "And I would have failed it, had I not been adamant about us reconciling first!" She just glanced away again, this time a little irritated hearing him getting angry - or was it just because he realized what it all was about even when SHE herself didn't quite comprehend what she was doing?

He stepped to her clearly very upset, making her look at him again "You keep doing this from the first moment we've met! You keep testing my bond to you: am I worthy of your trust? Is there ever going to be an end to your testing? Is there ever going to be a time, Emma, when I can finally feel just an ounce of trust from you? When you'd finally stop looking for opportunities to make me fail?"

She frowned now agitated too "Just stop this, will ya?" she told him and tried to step away from him, but he took her by the arm and made her stay opposite him.

He stared into her eyes trying hard to make her understand "I cannot always read between the lines, Emma. Most of the time, I can't even get jokes or the figurative meaning of what people say!" he told her on an ever more desperate voice "When you cuddle up to me, or kiss me, I'm not looking for other purposes you might have with that, I take it as it is: an act of affection! And you interpret my reaction into something I cannot even fathom."

She pulled her arm away forcefully "I'm not doing this on purpose!" she retorted "You know that I don't!"

"Then why? Why are you doing this, if you have no particular purpose with it?" he asked feeling his emotions again overwhelming him as a tremor ran through his body.

She pushed the fingers of both of her hands through her hair impatiently "I don't know! It's just because I'm screwed up, Data! I'm screwed up! That's all I can say." she told him exasperated feeling a catch in her throat. She dropped her hands with a long, shaky sigh.

He watched her for a moment longer and shook his head "This is not an answer." he told her bitterly.

She shrugged trying hard to stop herself from crying "It's the only one I can give you."

He shook his head again "It wouldn't be so, if you trusted me. If you really trusted me. Just a little. But... you don't, do you." he wanted to ask, but it became a statement. His voice was low and full of disappointment, and she felt her heart broke under it.

She looked into his eyes feeling her own filling with tears then she ran her hand up her arm glancing out of the window. That was it, wasn't it? What she'd always feared came true: he realized how incapable she was. She sighed. Even though she did trust him more than anyone... it wasn't enough - she wasn't enough! She wasn't even in the vicinity of what normal people were like and now, he finally understood... the way she'd always known he would.

She knew she had to ask the question. The inevitable. The one she'd always feared. But it was just so difficult. She couldn't look at him, she gazed out at the beautiful double-moons as she finally asked on a whisper "Are we... over, Deadpan?" her voice broke, and she quickly wiped away a tear. She already knew the answer. The only answer there could ever have been. She'd known this moment would come, from the first time she realized he took an interest in her - there could've been no other end to something as good as this in her life...

The question made him realize what a hard slap on the face could have felt like, though he never had the first hand experience. This was the very last thing he'd have expected her reaction would be! For an instant, he tried to imagine what it would be like to let her go - it was a peculiar realization, that he wasn't even able to picture that in his mind! He watched her standing there in the moonlight. She tried to seem strong, tried to hide how tortured she was by that single question, by her incapacity of trust. And in that moment, he realized he had to take the lead. He had to be the one more courageous. He had to be the one more trusting. To show her it was worth it. Because the only answer to that dreadful question he could imagine to be was a firm no!

He took a small step to her and gazed right at her "Is this another test?" he asked on a soft voice.

She chuckled tearfully and wiped another stray tear but didn't - couldn't - look at him. She shrugged, and her expression turned pained again. She didn't really know the answer, but then again it didn't really matter what he believed, if the outcome was the same: him walking out the door forever! She swallowed hard. Just leave already! Just leave. Please! she prayed, because she didn't know how long she could bear it without breaking down sobbing - but she just couldn't bring herself to say the words.

But the moments passed, and he didn't leave. He just stood there for a minute and then another and another, and finally started to speak on a silent, distant voice. "I was unfair to you." he started slowly. She shook her head wanting to protest, but she knew she'd just sob if she uttered a word, so she just went on staring stubbornly out of the window. Her hands came up into tight fists on her crossed arms, and she bit her lower lip so much, it hurt. And he just kept going on "We had an agreement. I didn't keep myself to it. When I had to go to the court martial, I didn't tell you. My reasons were not right either. I kept telling myself that I just wanted to protect you. And I did! Believe me, I did! But it was just part of the truth... I-I was scared how you'd react. I was scared that you wouldn't understand."

She slowly turned her gaze to his and saw him standing there rigid, lost - and maybe even afraid. What was he doing? What was this confession? And he kept going!

"I was scared because I thought you wouldn't understand why I'm so bound to the Enterprise, to this crew that I'd give up the one thing I've always coveted above all. I thought, you had the strength to give up your home. To change. When life required of you." he shook his head "I'm not as strong as you are... They are my family. The only family I've ever known. The Enterprise is my life. The only life I've ever had. I don't have the strength to give it up. At least not yet. And I was not ready to confess this to you. To you, whom I admired so much, that you were so brave that you could change your life. I didn't trust you. And when you shouted at me about it... you failed MY test. Just as I suspected you would. Even though you just tried to view my best interest, nothing more."

She stood there speechless, petrified. He went on timidly bowing his head:

"I never did it on purpose." he told her on a thin voice and gazed into her eyes turning his palms up "If this is what it means to be human..." he shook his head with a tiny tearfilled smile "I never ever thought it was this hard!"

She sighed and was about to tell him to just go, leave, because she didn't deserve him! He deserved someone so much better, so much... and then she realized it didn't matter. He - for some unfathomable reason - chose her. It was now her who HAD TO at least try to reach up to the heights she saw him climbing, almost flying to just now. She may fail, but she couldn't let him down by not even trying.

She wordlessly reached out and touched her hand to his taking it gently into hers, raising it slowly. She stepped close to him watching as their palms touched and fingers entwined. She then turned her head up and searching his gaze, slid her arm around his neck as he slid his around her waist. They stood there in the moonlight, holding each other petrified into the timeless posture of an intimate waltz. The way their journey began. She cuddled her face into his collarbone, and he buried his into her hair as she drew their entwined hands close between the two of them.

She sighed. Who am I kidding? I love this man. I'll never love anyone more... She shut her eyes and let herself be cuddled into the most tender embrace she ever was held in.

Data stood there inhaling her fragrance, touching his cheek to her silky hair, holding her so gently, he was filled by her presence completely, and he wished he could spend the rest of eternity with her like that.

She then pulled away slightly to look into his eyes - she wished she could tell him something, something big, something important! Like how amazing he was, how grateful she was for him - or that she did love him! But she felt words were just so inadequate, so meaningless, so small... and in that same moment, looking into his honest gaze reflecting the same emotions she herself felt, she understood why he never said the words. There were no words to express what they shared!

She just smiled then, her eyes sparkled against the darkness "We both owe each other a story. Now would be as good a time to tell as any, wouldn't it, Deadpan?"

He tentatively returned her smile and another tremor went through his body - his resources were almost completely claimed by his emotions. He nodded wordlessly, and she stepped out of his arms "Come!"


	28. Chapter 28

They were standing on the roof of the holo-disguised building, Emma put her lower arms on the wide ledge made of rough concrete and looked out on the view. Data stood at her side and watched her as she spoke. The wind blew a strand of her long hair into her face, and she swept it back behind her ear absently. The double-moons shone in her eyes, and Data dedicated a separately running processor thread to be able to simply admire the sight of her against the starry night.

"It all started... two and a half, maybe three years ago." she began on a calm, steady voice "I was just over my third miscarriage. Nobody knew why I kept losing the babies in the third month, and it seemed impossible to figure out the reason with 21st century methods. I had to accept the thought that if I wanted to have a child, I'd have to take the risk of losing another baby... It's a thought that can drive you crazy in itself alone... Partly because of it, my marriage was a complete disaster. We tortured each other on a daily basis. I was considering divorce, but whenever it came up, he somehow managed to convince me, that we could somehow work it out, and I just... didn't have the strength... and it started all over again and again and again... I hated my job. I had to give up acting years before, when the movie industry collapsed. I was a doctor at the local hospital and watching people die of sicknesses that I could have cured, had I have the means... It was slowly eating away at me. The last straw was Earl. His son died and he... he crossed over to the Resistance. Before that, he was working for them, but after it, he completely gave up his daily life for them. It meant we had to say goodbye - neither of us knew for how long..." she trailed off as she considered how to go on.

Data contemplated whether he should ask the questions that had been on his mind ever since he got to know Earl. When he saw that Emma was carried away by her thoughts, he decided that this could have been as good a moment to ask as any.

"Who exactly... is Earl?" he asked reluctantly.

She seemed to snap out of her reverie - and seemed to be relieved by it. She smiled and shrugged only looking at the view "He used to be my agent. He... he became my best friend. The only person I could confide in with my marital problems." she looked at him finally and saw that he stood there with a slightly uncomfortable expression, as if he wanted to ask something, he didn't quite feel confident about.

She smiled "Oh, come on... you know you may ask whatever you want."

"I know, it's just..." he shook his head, she was right - he looked into her eyes and asked finally "Were you and him... did the two of you..." Her eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately backed off "Forgive me my prying... it's really none of my business."

She smiled "Oh, silly!" she turned to him fully "You know it IS your business." she gazed away thoughtfully "I think in the beginning, if I have given him the slightest of signs, he'd have understood and taken the opportunity. But I've always considered him the father I never had. And he understood and accepted it. He never crossed that imaginary line we drew at the beginning. Ever. He's a gentleman." she looked at him again "And now, I think, neither of us would want it in any other way than it is now."

"It is similar to the way I consider Doctor Crusher and Counselor Troi then. I confide in them the way you confide in Earl without feeling any kind of attraction toward them." he mused trying to find a comparison.

She smiled faintly "Exactly." she turned back to the view.

After a moment of silence, he decided to encourage her to go on "I'm sorry for the interruption. Please continue."

She sighed "Yeah, that's what I'm supposed to do... I just wish I knew how..." she shook her head a little and fumbled in the pocket of her coat. She drew out a small sachet and looked at it thoughtfully. Data stood there gaping, shocked, knowing exactly what he saw in her hands. She finally went on, but looked only at the white stuff in her hand, her voice was low and grim "It's called Chrystal. A colleague of mine at the hospital gave it to me first, when he saw how sad I was. Told me, I'd feel better... would find my REAL self again..." she looked out at the view, and the chilling wind blew into her hair, sweeping her long strands out of her face "The first time... I felt... beautiful..." she shook her head with a faint, helpless smile "Pathetic, isn't it? As if that was the one thing missing from my life... From the life of a celebrated actress... Later on, I understood, it simply wiped my inhibitions away... And I wanted more! In a matter of weeks, I hit rock bottom. I just couldn't stop. I was so lost, so alone, so helpless that there was no reason... I found no reason to talk myself out of buying another shot and another... It lasted three months. I admit there are things I don't remember... It was hell... And what I woke up to was another form of hell as well." she grew silent again, and Data could see how lost she was in her memories. He couldn't stand to watch her so tortured. He reached out and took her hand into his.

Emma looked at him shocked for a moment, then turned fully to him and let him put her hand to his chest. He made her feel his heartbeat through the fabric of his thin shirt, and she felt a catch in her throat at the sensation. He was there. So warm, so alive! With her. She wasn't alone. She took her hand out of his, reached up and stroked his cheek gratefully. They stood there with their gazes locked for a long moment before she turned back to the view, opened the small sachet and let the wind carry the white, sparkling powder away into the darkness. Finally, she let the sachet go with the wind too.

After a moment, she went on "Ed couldn't afford a wife who was an addict. He rather put me into a mental institution, claiming that I had a nervous breakdown. I was fairly popular even years after I quit acting. People were asking questions after I crossed to the Resistance. Of course, he couldn't admit that the wife of one of the highest ranking government officials is now working for the Resistance! THIS was his cover story throughout. For two years, he convinced the people that I simply went mad... His popularity flared! The poor guy who kept on being faithful to his beloved, deranged wife - as if we were in some lousy gothic novel!" she laughed a hallow laugh and then shrugged "Earl got me out of the nuthouse. The last Starfleet officer on the colony helped him... Amery... he was the nicest, most good-willed person..." her face again grow grim and her voice full of bitterness "He got shot in the head as we ran for the car... I barely remember anything of my escape I was so delirious of the drugs I had been given... but I do remember how his... brain was smeared on the wall next to us... how his blood just flowed out of the hole on the side of his head... Earl grabbed me and dragged me to the car... the sun shone so brightly, I had to cover my eyes... and I was so cold in that thin hospital gown I had on, I thought I was gonna freeze... and the blood dried very slowly on it, very slowly... I trembled, Earl shouted..."

Data watched her with growing shock and agitation. She seemed so lost in her memories, as if she was reliving them the way he had when HE was having flashbacks from his abduction by the Borg. He reached out and gently took her two wrists in his hands the way she used to, when she had helped him through his own horrible memories and stroked her skin with his thumbs.

She looked up at him with confusion in her eyes, and then a faint, grateful smile curled her lips upward "It's okay, baby..." she breathed on a distant voice "My emotion-chip is off right now. I don't feel a thing. Not a thing..."

He let go one of her wrists and raising his hand to her face, he tenderly touched the tips of his long fingers to her cheek as he told her on a soft voice "As much as it is fascinating that you are able to understand how I was before my emotion-chip, as much as I feel helplessly attached to you because of it... it's not right, if you dismiss your feelings. You told me so, and now I'm telling you in return."

She gazed into his eyes for a long moment, then reached up for his hand and took it in both of hers. Shutting her eyes, she kissed his knuckles tenderly. He wished so much to just kiss her and wish her past away! No logic or rationality was there in that wish, but he came to be used to having less rationality concerning her by now. But this time, he knew, he just had to let her talk, and listen for now.

She opened her eyes and letting his hand go, turned back to the view. She put her lower arms on the ledge holding on to her upper arms with her hands and then smiled thoughtfully "It was not me... That piece of wisdom is not coming from me. It's from my therapist, Gabriel. We met at the Resistance... I suppose Earl asked him to help me, because he could see that with all my marital traumatization AND a drug problem, I really hit rock bottom, and he probably had no idea how to deal with this all by himself. I was skeptical first. But... Gabriel helped. As much as he could. As much as I could be helped." she again trailed off, and after a long moment of silence, he knew he had to push her on.

"Where is he now?" he asked silently.

"Dead." she told him simply not looking at him "Died when the hospital we worked at was raided... It tore me to pieces... I never admitted to him but I... I was in love with him for a little while at the beginning of the therapy. When he died, though that platonic love had gone long ago, he still meant a lot to me." another pause came, but suddenly, she sighed and seemed to go on on a stronger voice "He viewed the world so innocently... Pretty much the way you do - though..." she smiled and glanced at him "...your innocence is extreme at times..."

"You really think so?" he asked a little confused.

She smiled thoughtfully "You - as much as Gabriel did - believe that humans are inherently good. You admire them, want to be one of them. He refused to believe that the Epsilonians deserve what they brought upon themselves." her voice became surprisingly hard.

"Do you not?" he asked stunned.

She turned to him and looked straight into his eyes "I do not." she told him firmly "I think they all deserve what they get from the leaders they elected, in the society they chose to be part of. As much as I deserve all that has happened to me for all the poor choices I've made in my life." she told him with blazing eyes, but somehow he knew she was not angry at HIM.

He frowned shocked at this "Even if you know that these people are being misled? Even if you know that your husband misled and mistreated YOU? Are you so unforgiving even to yourself, even to the people I know you love, that you cannot forgive those poor choices? That you cannot see that NOBODY, not you, not the Epsilonians deserve being abused the way you were abused? I know you're not so short sighted, Emma. I know because I know you."

Her lips curled upward at this, and she looked at him with appreciation for an instant, but then she rolled her eyes in mock bemusement "Yeah... This is why I say, the level of your innocence is in the extreme region." she could see that he was not sure how to react to this, and she went on with a more heart-felt smile "And this is why I say, you're the best person I've ever met. By far better than ANY human I've ever met." she turned back to the view to her previous posture leaning on the ledge "Forgive me for saying this, but... I hope you'll never achieve what you want, and would never become completely human. And that you'll remain the perfect being you are right now." she felt her first emotion since she'd recalled the story of her escape from the mental institution - and she was not surprised that THAT first emotion was fear. She knew she'd hurt him with this, and with all their differences... she might as well lose him on that single statement.

He was shocked at first, but then thinking about it, he came to the conclusion that Emma simply met the wrong people throughout her life. She just needed to spend time with people like his crew on the Enterprise, and she'd change her mind. He reached out and swept her long hair back behind her shoulder. She turned her head shocked at the tender touch and gaped as she saw him smiling. She turned to him fully as he smiled "And I hope that I WILL achieve what I wish, one day. Now, I got one more reason to hope for it! Because if I did, then there would be one human who would have the chance at restoring your faith in your species."

She stood there gaping watching him as he mimicked her previous posture and leaned to the ledge looking out over the city. He was just so amazing! So trusting! So... so attractive, she smiled in admiration involuntary as she was watching him. The wind had no chance at blowing even a strand of his perfectly combed hair, but it did move the ends a little behind his ear. She swallowed the urge to cuddle up to him and start kissing his neck and ear - they had a lot more to discuss! So she leaned to the ledge next to him and looked out on the view too.

After standing there in silence for a few more moments, finally Data spoke up on a silent, reluctant voice: "Em..." She turned her head to look at him, and he went on seemingly very unsure "Why... why did you have this drug here with you?"

Emma smiled realizing how worrying it might have seemed after listening to the story she'd told him. She shook her head "Not because I wanted to take it, baby." she reassured him on a gentle voice. She sighed and turned back to the view "You see, I knew that Ed wanted to make sure that 'his chérie' is the same insecure, vulnerable gal I used to be, while I was his wife. I needed to convince him that I was."

"So when you saw us talking, and you became upset, it was all part of this plan?" he asked trying to understand it.

She shook her head "No. I WAS very upset. But then I thought about it, and realized that this was an opportunity that might never return to prove myself to you. I wanted to prove to you - to all of you - that you CAN trust me, and that I do trust YOU. Not Starfleet with admirals like Uncle Seth. But you, the crew of the Enterprise. This is why I led you here. The other reason was that I knew that Ed would have had me followed. So I did what he expected me to do after seeing me so upset: I went to buy some Chrystal to comfort myself. I knew his thugs would be following me. I also knew they wouldn't want to take me back to the residence. They were coming after me only to report to Ed whether he was right in his hope that 'his chérie' was still as lost as he had made her with years of hard work."

Data nodded thoughtfully "I believe I understand now." They looked into each other's eyes, and Emma smiled relieved. Data went on on a curious voice cocking his head "Was this the reason behind the fact that you didn't want your husband to learn about us? That you want to deceive him into thinking that you're alone and fragile?"

She turned to him and shook her head with a gloomy expression. He held her gaze slightly confused as she took a moment to answer "No, Data. I just wanted to protect you." she answered silently.

"Protect ME?" he asked opening his eyes wide, surprised.

"Yeah..." she shook her head again and seemed to be embarrassed "I know that if he learns that you're important to me, he'll hurt you. One way or the other." she sighed frustrated "I needed you here with me, I think I'd go mad, if you weren't here. But somehow I need to try to protect you."

He looked a little taken aback by this reasoning. He never felt he needed protection from any human not having a degree in cybernetics, and it was strange to hear that SHE felt she needed to protect him. Especially, that she was a fragile human whereas he was a sturdy android - even if he needed protection, how would she be able to provide it? Anyways, it was a moot point: "Emma," he began and took her hand gently in his "it doesn't matter anymore." she looked up at him worried as he went on "He already knows that you're important to me - or more precisely the fact that we're important to each other... I believe it might have been apparent without saying a single word to each other. And I don't think it's a bad thing. Whatever his or anyone else's reaction may be, it doesn't matter. I don't want to hide from anyone."

She squeezed his hand and gazed into his eyes almost desperately "I know, baby, I know! I don't want to hide either. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if you got hurt because of me!"

He looked at her smiling apologetically "Em, no one on this planet can hurt me. They don't have the means. Bullets can't do any damage to me - well, apart from tearing the bioplast, see?" he held out his palm to her to show her the cut that the bullet he'd caught before it could hit Picard left on his hand. She frowned stunned and took his hand into both of hers leaning closer to his palm. She seemed to be studying his hand or the wound on it for a long moment, then she slowly raised a hand and brushed a gentle finger over the metal visible under the bioplast.

"So this is how you look inside?" she asked on a whisper gazing only at the wound almost as if she was mesmerized by the moonlight sparkling in it - on the metal.

He suddenly felt really self-conscious. She might have been okay with knowing that he was a machine, but SEEING it...

"Are you made of metal?" she asked stroking the wound again - she was surprised that the metal was as warm as his skin.

"Yes. Mostly." he answered on a low, embarrassed voice.

She finally turned her gaze up to meet his, and he was surprised to find that it reflected pure curiosity "How can you be so soft?" she asked almost with the innocence of a child asking her Teddy bear about what he was made up of.

He smiled embarrassed - AND relieved - and glanced away before locking gazes with her again "Are you sure you'd like to discuss how my endoskeletal structure is constructed, right at the moment?"

She blinked realizing it was really not the best of times "Oh, maybe some other time..." she nodded letting his hand go embarrassed. She sighed and leaned over the ledge again. He watched her as she looked out over the view. She sighed and shrugged "Well, Deadpan, your turn now." she said without looking at him "Don't think you'll get away without telling me YOUR story."

He sighed a little uneasily as he leaned on the ledge too "I know, however I'm somewhat uncertain about telling it to you." they locked gazes again, and to her questioning look, he went on a little defensively "I-I'm not reluctant about telling you, because I don't want to. I'm reluctant because I'm afraid that several aspects of this story might do further damage to your already somewhat wavering faith in humanity."

She snorted and chuckled waving her hand "Oh, don't ya worry about THAT! There's no faith that could waver anyways." he looked away uncomfortably as she asked "But just stop beating around the bush and start already!" He sighed gazing out over the view as she went on "Who's this Doctor Maddox you mentioned? Everybody seemed pretty distressed only by hearing the name, yet you seem to trust him, so what's the deal with him?"

Data glanced at her uneasily but then started to talk "Well... For you to understand the situation, I will need to start from almost thirty years ago. When I first applied to Starfleet Academy, Bruce Maddox was the only member of the committee to object to my acceptance... on the basis that I am not a sentient being."

Emma frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but Data tried to ignore her reactions, so he could get over the story as quick as it was possible. He leant his lower arms on the ledge and just went on.

"There was a long debate, and a lot of tests, and finally, I WAS accepted. In essence, it was rather an experiment on the part of Starfleet as I understand. I was a unique life-form, they wanted to see how I would perform and how far I would advance. However, the question of my sentience was not settled at this time. I always knew that the lack of a legal decision in this matter WILL come and haunt me later on. Over a year after I started serving on the Enterprise, Maddox paid a visit. By that time, he became the foremost cyberneticist of the Daystrom Institute, and had all the power, influence and prestige he needed for an experiment he wanted me to take part in. Or more precisely, to be the subject of." he grew silent to think about how to go on.

Watching him so lost in his memories, Emma felt a cold chill slowly climbing up her spine: "What did he want?" she breathed finally.

He sighed and gave a short glance at her, trying hard to ignore her worried expression "Well... To phrase it as simply as possible... he wanted to take me apart."

"What?!" Emma barked gaping, wide-eyed. Did she just hear him wrong?!

Data let out a long breath "He was having trouble with fully replicating the design my father used, when he had built me. So he wanted to take a look inside. A very... close look inside."

"As if you were some sort of a doll?! Or experimental guinea pig?!" Emma asked now fully agitated.

Data finally took up the courage to turn his head to her. His face was pleading, and Emma understood that it was hard enough for him to recall these memories without her getting hysterical. So she decided to retreat for now:

"I-I'm sorry..." she said feeling her cheeks burn, but she was not sure whether it was from embarrassment or from her suddenly racing heart drumming so hard in her chest "Just don't let me interrupt. I'll try to be shocked as silently as I can." she told him clearing her throat.

Data nodded "Thank you." missing the bitter humour in her sentence. He turned back to the view "It was obvious that I would have had to do as he said. He was my superior officer, and Starfleet duty required me to obey. It was a form of service, if you wish... Finally, Captain Picard helped me fight the decision of the JAG officer of the Starbase we were staying at the time. He convinced Captain Louvois to have a legal hearing, where I can defend myself - or somebody of my choosing can have the possibility of doing it for me. Due to the fact that the base was new, there was no staff, so Captain Picard defended me, and Commander Riker prosecuted the case."

"Riker?!"

Data shook his head "He had no other choice. Captain Louvois would have summarily ruled against me, if there had been no hearing, and without prosecution... there could have been no hearing." he looked at her now with THAT neutral expression she knew so well - she didn't dare to try to guess what she could see in his deep, unreadable gaze this time... He went on turning back to the view, and Emma got the impression that it must have been easier to talk without watching her reactions. He went on "Later on, when I utilized the emotion-chip, this hearing was one of the hardest experiences I ever had to cope with emotionally... It took me a few weeks to be able to talk to Commander Riker without constantly thinking about him... reaching behind my back and turning me off."

"What?! He did that? He-he turned you off?!" she asked again agitated - her previous promise of staying calm forgotten.

Data glanced at her slightly pleading "He had to prove that I'm a machine. He did prove it the most convincing way possible." he didn't want to go into any further details of Riker's questioning at the hearing. For him, the fact that his arm was taken off was a lot less shocking experience than it must have sounded to a human. His body parts - even his head - were detachable and most of them replaceable in some way. But for a human, he could tell, especially judging from the reaction of Captain Louvois, that taking body parts off of an entity was not something entirely casual or easy to shrug off by a human.

"I understand, but... ohgod..." she shook her head shutting her eyes for a long moment. She tried to imagine what she would have done in Riker's place, if the only way for her to protect Data would involve hurting or betraying him in some way... Well... she would have simply taken the third option instead of choosing from the two possible ones. She'd have just kidnapped him and have him run as far away from the Federation as they could - but then again, she didn't have the same bond Data had with Starfleet AND the Enterprise. Easy for her to contemplate THAT as an option...

"The final ruling was a bit obscure. I was given the right to choose. But no decision was made on my sentience NOR was it entirely proven that I am a sentient being. I did formally refuse to participate in Maddox' experiment. By the end of the hearing, he seemed to change in his opinion about me. He started to use the pronoun 'he' instead of 'it' when talking about me, and in general, he seemed to treat me more like he would treat a human. Without emotions, it was quite easy for me to rise above his previous treatment of me or the events of the legal hearing. I WAS actually interested in his advancements of cybernetics, so we corresponded for quite a few years... Up until I started to utilize my emotion-chip... when I started to be so afraid of him, as if he was a convicted murderer." his voice became low and grave - he did lose a kind-of friend simply by having emotions, because he just couldn't fight them, they were so deep seated.

Emma watched him for a moment longer confused "But you did invite him to do the procedure to remove your chip..."

Data looked at her again and this time held her gaze "Yes, because of two very simple reasons. Firstly, my sentience is not in question anymore. Last year, I had the matter legally settled for good with the help of Captain Picard AND Captain Louvois based on the legal hearing of eight years ago. Now, I am a full citizen of the Federation with its benefits and responsibilities, meaning that nobody can injure me without facing the same consequences they would face, if they injured an organic being of the Federation. Secondly, the procedure of converting my emotion-chip to be removable is far beyond the cybernetic capabilities of Geordi. He is an exemplary Engineer, but not a cyberneticist, and Maddox knows the Soong design the best. In the strictest technical sense, I trust Maddox the most. I also know that for Geordi, this procedure would mean that he is dissecting his own best friend. I cannot let him go through such an ordeal - a similar one Commander Riker had to go through for me."

"I see..." she sighed thinking about all that she'd heard. Still there were some missing pieces of the jigsaw. "What about the court martial?" she asked as he gazed into her eyes "Why were you court martialed in the first place, if you're a citizen of the Federation? Aren't you entitled to have emotions just as any organic being is?"

"My rights as a Federation citizen were never in question during the court martial, Emma." he shook his head pondering "I believe there's not a lot that you don't know about the court martial itself already. Starfleet Command read the reports of Counsellor Troi, and decided on an official hearing. During the hearing, it became obvious that I've made several severe breaches of the rules and regulations by utilizing the emotion-chip without consulting with the Daystrom Institute first, so it was decided that I'd be court martialed."

Emma frowned "Consulting about what? If you ARE considered a full, sentient citizen of the Federation, what do they have to do with all this? This is your life, your decision, your emotions." she asked feeling again that strong urge to protect him.

Data looked at her pleading "Understand, Emma. It is not about my right to have emotions! It's about the fact that emotions change me thoroughly. The emotion-chip affects my judgment, my abilities, my resource utilization, therefore it affects my performance as a Starfleet officer. My rank as Lieutenant Commander was given to me based on my performance unaffected by emotions. It IS reasonable that they're doubting my abilities, especially based on how I was performing after my abduction."

She stared at him feeling desperation welling up in her "You speak as if you believed all these things too!"

Data shrugged almost apologetically "Because they are true, Em." She gaped shocked, and he shook his head frustrated "Even if I believed even for a second that they were wrong... today was proof enough that they were right!"

"Why, for god's sake?!"

Data hung his head "I was so upset about you running out on me... I couldn't think clearly. I wasn't even in the vicinity of that! I completely misjudged your reasoning, and it was mere luck that I found your note - even though you left it at the most straightforward place for me to find it. On top of this all, I was ready to... to confront Admiral McKinnley even in a physical manner, when he provoked me and the Captain. My mind just went completely blank, I just wanted to... I don't even know what I wanted to..." he breathed finally very ashamed of his unbecoming, out of character behaviour.

She shook her head frustrated "Uncle Seth is a son-of-a-bitch! Don't judge yourself by your reaction to what he says. He's always been like that. When I was a child, and he came to us as a guest, he took pleasure in teasing the life out of me. And teasing is not the correct word for what he was doing. Teasing should be at least funny. But he actually wants people to be hurt."

"I understand, Emma, but I clearly overreacted whatever he was saying. I can tell because Captain Picard remained calm." he explained turning his palms up seeming very convinced by the truth of his words.

Emma rolled her eyes "He's such a stone-faced, stone-skinned guy, no wonder he could stay calm. But you are different, you're sensitive..."

"Yes!" he told her cutting in "This is exactly the problem. Me as a person CAN be sensitive, but me as a Starfleet officer, as a Lieutenant Commander cannot."

They stood there gazing into each other's eyes for a long moment. She had to admit, he had a point. And it was just crazy that this whole injustice had a point! She shook her head letting a long, frustrated breath out and gazed out on the view seemingly giving in to his reasoning. But deep in her heart she knew she would never be able to accept this. Ever. She sighed wistfully "This is just so unfair..." she told him silently on a breaking voice surprising herself more than him by the sudden tears that ran to her eyes. She quickly blinked them back wiping her face and sniffling.

He watched her for a moment longer and couldn't help but felt grateful for her tears. And strangely enough he felt, he wished he could cry too! No tears came, but he had to admit he'd felt like crying his eyes out ever since this ordeal had begun! He never dared to let himself, because it was all so irrational, even pathetic, knowing that Starfleet was essentially right! Still right at the moment, he felt very much like giving himself over to this irrational grief... And was there any reason not to? Tonight he'd already discarded most of what remained of his trademark hyper-rationality. He nodded frowning slightly "Yes. Yes, it is unfair." he whispered almost as if he was ashamed to say the words.

She looked at him stunned - he had never expressed any negative emotions regarding how he was treated, or mistreated by Starfleet or anyone else. He gazed out on the view as his words almost stumbled one after the other as he tried to tell her something he'd never dared to voice aloud to anyone before, including his own self "I know you think I'm generous and..." he shook his head looking for words "I know you think I don't hold grudges. And I really don't, it is just... I'm aware of the fact that... were I a human... life would be much... much less complicated... and... and I know you think I accept the ruling of the court martial - and to a certain extent I do! I even agree! But... I agree only rationally. Because... even though it's difficult to live with them sometimes, I... I got used to my emotions, and I like having emotions... I like the person I've become by them, more than I like the person I used to be before... And I feel it's unfair that... after overcoming all these problems, all these difficulties... I'll be deprived of them, without being given the slightest chance to prove myself worthy of the very rank I hold." he turned his head to her, and a desperate expression appeared on his features "Is this ego? ...Because if it is, then it may as well be alright that I'll be able to use my emotion-chip less - I don't want to become someone like Lore..."

She gaped shocked at this: she knew about Lore. He'd told her about him, and she knew how scared he was about the fact that they were almost identical - he was constantly afraid of becoming his evil brother. And she knew this fear was so deep seated that she barely had any chance at convincing him that there was no way he would ever become Lore... But she had to try so she put her arms around him gently, comfortingly. He let her and held her close for a moment before she pulled away a little and locked her concerned gaze with his confused one. "Babe, ego and being totally egocentric are two completely different things. Ego is just fine, believe me. It gives you self-confidence, and that's one thing that you need more than anything! Taking pride in your achievements or being upset about an injustice against you doesn't warrant that you'll become unscrupulous like your brother." she sighed "Do you believe me?" she asked on a thin voice seeing his skeptical expression.

Data looked into her eyes with a surprised small smile - she seemed so anxious for him to feel better. The thought was comforting in itself. He nodded reluctantly "I believe I have to admit, that there is logic in your reasoning. But somehow..." he frowned thoughtfully "...somehow again, my emotions don't correlate with whatever logic dictates."

She smiled reassuringly at that "Well... you might already have achieved what you wished for! Because that's actually very human..."


	29. Chapter 29

**Rated M for language**

* * *

Beverly and the Captain have been strolling the city for three hours already, and had reported to the Admiral twice, now a third time, standing on one of the delightfully lit and at the same time, strangely deserted bridges.

"No, Admiral, we haven't found any trace of her yet." Picard stated on a colorless tone.

"The Premiere suggests a club in the western district called Providence. It's not a safe surroundings, but it might be worth a try. According to the Premiere, Ms. Jones was a regular visitor at the facility a few years back." the disgust in the Admiral's raspy voice was palpable even through the comlink.

"We'll check it out and let you know if we've found something, Sir. Picard out." the Captain cut the conversation short - less talk, less lying he thought.

"Have you any idea about where to find this 'western district'?" Beverly asked resting her elbows on the railing behind her. The dark water flowed swirling underneath.

Picard glanced around then pointed to a direction in his usual utterly confident manner "That way."

Beverly chuckled remembering a similar situation where she knew, he actually had no idea which direction to start "Is that a hunch? Or you DO know."

"A logical conclusion, Doctor. Based on the location of the moons in the sky, east is that way," he pointed behind them "and west is in the opposite direction. I sincerely hope that the naming convention of their districts is not entirely random." Picard explained as if he was actually explaining a scientific equation.

"Oh..." Beverly acknowledged with a small smile, and they started out.

She also acknowledged something else a bit wryly. Picard was not willing to chit-chat apart from what was absolutely necessary, AND he was not willing to call her on her first name either, now that they remained alone. Now that they remained alone, he seemed to tense up and started to act more professionally - even almost coldly - than ever before around her. It was a saddening realization.

"Do you really want to go there?" she asked after ten minutes of silent walking next to each other. At Picard's surprised frown, she explained "I mean, we do know where Emma is, we just have to pretend to look for her." They've been out for hours roaming the city, she started to get tired.

"If the Admiral has our locations checked by the Enterprise, our cover is blown. It was a good idea from Mr. Data to swap badges with me. With Geordi's modifications in place, mine's not as easy to track as any other badge normally would be, and they do need the disguise it provides."

"We still have only two badges, and nominally, we are three Starfleet officers." Beverly pointed out and felt a little out of breath - the Captain seemed to be in an awful hurry, he was pacing so rapidly as if they were in fact late.

He shrugged without looking at her "We can always say that we lost one. But how can you explain to report from a place you fail to show up at?" he answered grumpily, and she could swear that he was not in a good mood, even compared to himself...

"If the Enterprise is asked to look for us, our cover is blown anyways! They just would have to look for the component elements of Data. Those materials are unique enough, especially on this planet to let anybody find him whoever knows what to be looking for."

"I think the chances at such a move on the part of the Admiral are remote." he answered on a dismissive tone - end of conversation.

Beverly let it go. She felt her spirits were down in the dumps too. She hated how distant and cold he suddenly became - and she hated the idea of going to the western district. Emma told her about it, it was also called 'Chicago' because of the thugs and mobs there, and not even one bit of her wished to go there without almost no means of defence or any knowledge of the place.

After another few minutes of hurrying, Beverly decided to give up on trying to be friendly or nice "Jean-Luc!" she called "Are you planning to take the Starfleet marathon, and we're training for it, or might we slow down at least a little." it meant to be a question, but it came out as a statement, and she frowned at him now really annoyed.

The Captain raised his head as if waken from a dream "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even notice." he slowed to a comfortable pace.

Beverly watched his face for a moment longer, and somehow her anger was gone. A gentle smile appeared on her features "I could see that." she told him on a soft voice "You seem to be so deep in thought ever since we've left the Resistance that I was afraid that I'd have to develop telepathic skills to reach you."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows "I believe we had quite enough of that a few years ago. I don't suppose either of us wants to see into the other's thoughts AS deeply AS THAT ever again." he grumbled and turning his head ahead, he added on a low voice "Especially, not now..."

Beverly could barely catch his last remark, but she did hear it. Her smile disappeared immediately "I guess not..." she breathed and didn't force any more conversation on the way. Did he know about her little fling? she thought dismayed. It seemed so even though she tried to be as discrete as she could. Suddenly, she found herself angry! For god's sake! They were not a couple! They NEVER had been! Since when did she have to explain herself to him for having an affair? She never expected him to, and he neither, so why did he, NOW? Or was it something else?

In quarter of an hour, they caught a tram - the same line Emma had taken earlier that night - and sitting next to each other, Beverly gazed out on the thousand lights of the dark city. Her shoulder brushed to the Captain's, and she tried hard to ignore the sensation. Especially that he seemed to ignore it too: he didn't try to move away. She sighed wearily.

As the tram bumped along its line, Beverly mused on on their present situation. They stopped having breakfasts together in the last month. He always found some excuse why he couldn't afford the time. He seemed to be avoiding her, and his dismissive behaviour now confirmed her growing suspicion that it didn't only SEEM that way, it was actually a fact. It had to have a reason, but no, no, it would be just too simple to blame it on the fact that she gained a 'special friend' in the last month.

"Hmm..." the Captain's growling woke Beverly from her daydreaming.

"What is it?" she asked at his bemused expression.

"Take a look at that billboard." he tilted his head toward the window as the tram was waiting in its stop.

"Let's stop the Federation together!" Beverly read out aloud "I've seen similar ones all along the way. I suppose it's just part of the propaganda Emma was talking about."

"The line underneath is even more unsettling. 'Aliens are the cause.'" he read as the tram started again with a jerk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked raising her shoulders "The cause of what?"

Suddenly, they heard a raspy male voice above them "The cause of all the misery of humanity!" They looked up startled, and the man holding on to a handrail standing above them, started to explain - his breath was stinking with alcohol, and Beverly found herself having to fight her turning stomach to keep the tea they'd drunk at Earl's place down. "Ever since humans got influenced by filthy aliens, all our troubles multiplied! Just take a look around here! People can't get jobs! Because these mother-fuckers altered economy in such a way that humans can make no decent business!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. ...?" Picard looked at him expectantly.

"Buyer, but call me simply Jolty!" the man told him, and as the tram started again with a jerk, he collapsed on the seat in front of them, and turned back to them.

"With all due respect... Jolty, but how do aliens influence the economy of Epsilon Four, if we don't trade with aliens at all?" the Captain asked as innocently as the features of his stone-face would let.

But Jolty frowned at them with growing suspicion "You aren't one of those Resistance trash, are you? Those alien-lover traitors would even sell their own mothers out to aliens, if they were given the chance. Lucky, that our government doesn't give them the chance... well, at least as long as the Old Guy lived..."

"Old Guy?" Beverly asked confused.

The man's frown deepened and looked from her to Picard "Is your girl retarded, or what?" he turned back to Beverly "The Old Guy, yes, Premier Hague!" he explained on a raised voice as if he really would be talking to someone with a lesser intellect. Beverly and Picard were both completely taken aback.

"I can assure you, we are neither retarded nor part of any kind of resistance..." Beverly started, but Jolty looked back at Picard.

"Do you always let her talk this much?" he asked, but this time, he had a quite disgusting grin on his face.

The two under-cover Starfleet officers exchanged glances, but then Beverly thought better of saying anything. She turned her head toward the window and tried to swallow her anger and hurt. So Emma didn't exaggerate: women WERE considered secondary citizens to men.

Picard fumed at the man's insolence, and his hands came up into fists. However, he could tell that they met the 'average Epsilonian' in Jolty, and his curiosity took the better of him. He let the insult go, moreover, he decided to play along. He chuckled "I even let her think sometimes!" he replied. Jolty laughed and Picard laughed with him, while Beverly looked at him as if he grew an additional head. She then went back gazing outside and just listened to the conversation.

Jolty's suspicions seemed to vaporize under the uniquely Epsilonian humour (and the amount of alcohol he had consumed earlier that night), and Picard wanted to use the opportunity "See, Jolty, we're not from around. We're from a small village called Daisy, fifty miles from Ethel. We don't know our ways into heavy politics. We're here to find ourselves jobs. You know how things are in the rural areas. It's getting harder and harder to get by."

Jolty waved "Tell me about it. I know, my brother still lives in the country. No matter how many times I tell him that he will only struggle there because aliens contaminated the lands, he doesn't listen. He keeps saying that the Old Guy wouldn't let such a thing happen. Well... maybe now that the Old Guy's gone, he will listen."

"Why? Do you think Premier Jones will not be as efficient as Premier Hague used to be in protecting Epsilon from aliens?"

"Ah..." Jolty waved once again in disappointment "That angel faced fellow... He does have good intentions, I'd say. But protecting humans from aliens with such little means as Epsilon Four has... you need to get your hands dirty sometimes. You need to use a whip sometimes. Jones is not that kind."

"What makes you think that?" Picard asked now getting curious.

Jolty chuckled now with what could be considered a measure of empathy "You really don't know a lot about politics. Well, I'd say if a guy is mourning his mad wife, all his life, he's not the hard handed type. He can convince my five-year-old daughter, even my little wife with his big soul, but Epsilon needs a strong leader, not a saint! Especially now!"

"Now?"

"Yeah! When the Federation wants to seed alien-agents on Epsilon! You won't get anywhere with a few billboards to fight that!" the tram stopped again suddenly, and before Picard had a chance to ask any more questions, Jolty jumped up, then stumbling, he held on to the nearest handrail "Sorry, pal, this is my stop! Was nice talking to you! Good luck!"

"Thanks, good luck to you too!" Picard told him as he stepped down the stairs.

The tram started again, and Beverly let out a long breath "Gracious god..."

"I agree... but at least, we know now that Jones doesn't share the undivided support of the people, as the previous Premier did." the Captain mused on a low voice.

Beverly grimaced with her sullen gaze still fixed on the view "Great comfort if it's not because of the fact that they detest his xenophobia, but because they consider him not xenophobic enough!"

Picard turned his palms up "On a xenophobic planet, this does not struck me as particularly surprising."

"Pff..." Beverly shook her head slightly, not at all feeling like going on with the conversation.

But after a moment, she heard Picard's voice - he seemed to be smiling! "Are you going to sulk all night because I played along?"

She snapped her head toward him at this with such a sudden irritation that she couldn't help herself "Sulking?! From the two of us, it was definitely NOT me who's been sulking all night! All month, if I want to be precise!" she was not able to hold back the bitterness she collected for the past weeks because of them growing so distant.

Picard blinked at her taken aback - he definitely didn't want to go down THIS road! Not now - not at all! "I have no idea what you're talking about." he told her on a blank voice, with such a deadpan expression, that Beverly had the impression that he had taken lessons from Data!

It fueled her anger even more, and she didn't back off - mission forgotten. "No? Perhaps you need a reminder. When was the last time you had time to have breakfast with me?"

Picard's hard expression reflected surprise for a short moment before composing his features again "Beverly! This is surely not the time NOR the place to have this conversation!"

"Surely not!" she agreed "We should've had it weeks ago!"

He frowned now getting angry but trying hard not to burst "What I meant to say is that we're on a mission right now." he explain on a low voice.

Beverly's mouth twitched into a grimace "Fine! Just forget what I said." she told him folding her arms in front of her chest and gazed out of the window. "There's no need to hurry to get things straight with someone who's been your friend for decades. Absolutely fine!"

Picard sighed impatiently but seemed to retreat "I didn't mean that we have to forget about it for good, only that this is not the appropriate-"

"What's going on there?" she cut in suddenly fixing her gaze on a bunch of people in the darkness.

Picard leaned closer to the window - and her - frowning as the tram rolled into its stop and came to a halt. The people Beverly spotted stood under a billboard a few meters from the tram-stop and seemed to gather around somebody. Watching them a moment longer, it became clear that the group was beating the lone person...

"It seems that person might need some assistance." the Captain declared and almost acting on an urge that was second-nature, he energetically got up from his seat and jumped off the tram.

"Jean-Luc, wait!" Beverly jumped up too, but as she was about to step down the stairs, the doors closed right in front of her, just as she tried to get off the tram. The Captain swirled back with a shocked expression realizing that he basically abandoned her! "Jean-Luc!" Beverly called once again hitting the glass from inside in vain and then held on to a handrail as the tram started again. Picard could only watch as the tram took her away.


	30. Chapter 30

**Rated M, skip ahead, if you like**

* * *

Data and Emma stumbled into her room feverishly kissing. He untied the knot on her coat and pushed the material sideways to get underneath, sliding his hands around her small waist. She sighed in pleasure feeling him wanting her so much and moved away only a little to get rid of her coat never breaking the kiss. She then slid her arms around his neck pulling him to her mouth. He slid his hand down her back into her jeans then pulled out the material of her top. She moaned as he pushed his hand under the garment sliding it up to her breast. He then released her mouth and started kissing her on her neck as he gently fondled her nude breast. He felt her nipple tighten under his touch, and he acknowledged it with a silent grunt of pleasure.

"Ah, babe..." she sighed pushing his palm onto her skin and turning her head to him planted small kisses on his cheek and ear where he was kissing her on the shoulder.

He raised his head looking into her eyes for a moment "I want to be inside of you!" he breathed and then lowered his mouth onto hers before she could reply anything.

She just moaned feeling herself turning on, and instead of answering verbally, she ran her hands down his body to his pants. She stroked him through the fabric a few times, feeling the hard response of his body under her hand, and she remembered how crazy she could make him when she had kissed him there. She quickly unbuckled his belt, while his hand tightened around her breast almost as if it was an instinctual response to what she was doing. She smiled into their kiss as she undid his pants and reached inside his boxers. His legs buckled under him as her hand clutched around him firmly, and he broke away looking into her eyes gaping almost desperately.

"Em..." he breathed, and she smiled watching his reactions as she slowly moved her hand up and then down on his length "...Mmmm..." his eyes closed for an instant, and he pushed toward her touch but then, he put his hand on hers to stop her "Wait, please..." he moaned.

She smiled "Why? Is this not good for you?" to emphasize her point, she tightened her grip around him and moved her hand again up then down.

He let out a small whimper but then stopping her hand with his, he cupped her cheek with his other hand, gazing into her eyes with a pleading expression "Wait, wait, wait, please, please!" he asked her begging on a whisper, fighting her and himself at the same time. She seemed to comply at least partially, because she stopped moving her hand - though she didn't release him. He fought desperately to find at least one processing thread to use for verbal communication. When he spoke finally, the gaps between his words seemed to be longer than they usually were, and Emma was sure that she managed to turn him so much on that he reached his processing limits. She smiled as she listened to him "Emma... I... want you. What... you're doing is... too fast... I can't..."

"It's alright, baby! It's alright!" she told him on a silent voice and reached up with her other hand to take his into hers "Stop worrying about everything. This night is ours. Just give yourself over to it!"

And he had no strength left to fight himself or her anymore. He drew her close for a hard kiss thrusting his tongue through lips and teeth to seek out hers, and pushed his hand to hers where it was gripping him in his boxers. She smiled into the kiss again feeling him losing control completely. She tightened her fist around him starting to move her hand again, while he slid his palm to her breast and started the fondle it firmly.

The pleasure of kissing her, holding her so tightly and feeling the direct contact of skin to skin where he was most sensitive was just exquisite. All his repressed emotions of the last days, his need to touch her even when it was forbidden, his need to feel her as close as he could, it all came rushing back at him in a few instants, making the processing utilization of his emotion-chip and all its sub-processors spike. More! I want more of her! Now! Right now! All his craving screamed at him, making him pull her firmly against him with a needy grunt.

He held her so close, Emma could feel his rapid heart-beat, and in the corner of her mind, she vaguely became worried that something might be out of the ordinary, as she'd never felt it to be so fast. But her own emotions clouded her judgement. She wanted him so much. Wanted to relive those beautiful, pleasurable feelings he'd created in her body and her soul on their wonderful first night. And in that moment, nothing else mattered, only the need to be as close to each other as possible. Her hand slid to the back of his head and came up into a tight fist in his hair pulling his mouth firmly to hers.

In that moment, a tremor ran through Data's body, and then he finally understood that something was very much out of place. He broke away from her as if he wanted to take a gasp of breath - not that he needed oxygen itself, but he realized, he was not able to process any more strong sensations, and he knew he needed a break! Obviously, Emma didn't understand. She just wanted to be lost in the emotions they were generating in each other, so without thinking, she kissed him again...

...and the whole world became blank for an instant. The next thing he knew was that he was lying on his back on the carpet, Emma's alarmed face was above him, and he could see her talking to him - maybe calling his name? She stroked his hair gently holding his hand in hers.

He frowned slightly, puzzled "What's happened?" he asked on a lower voice than he'd intended.

"I don't know! You collapsed! I think you were unconscious for a few seconds, cause you didn't reply to my calling!" she told him on a trembling voice, and he could see now that she was very scared, but was trying hard to hide it.

He shut his eyes and searched his diagnostic logs for a few seconds. He then opened his eyes again and sat up.

"Easy..." she told him still holding on to his hand. "How are you feeling?" she asked still worried, though the fact that he was willing to sit up did relieve her a bit.

He nodded, and his deadpan expression softened into a tiny smile "Fine." he pulled her hand close and kissed it then reached out and stroked her cheek "Please don't worry. I was not unconscious."

She shook her head feeling very guilty "I'm so sorry I pushed you. I shouldn't have, I should've listened to you, I..."

"No, no, please stop it!" he squeezed her hand in his and stroking her cheek again, he turned her face to him "It wasn't because you pushed me. I..." he shrugged embarrassed glancing away "I think I've experienced what it is like when I reach the limits of my emotion-chip." She looked at him surprised, and then expectingly waiting for him to go on. After a moment of pondering, he squeezed her hand and tried to explain "The whole day was very trying emotionally. Starting from the morning, I've been given several very intense inputs that I had no time to deal with during the day. Feeling pleasure is also processed by my emotion-chip, and to put it simply, there was no more room for processing the intense sensations our kissing created. The chip overloaded and automatically shut down, taking down with it all the sub-processors it was using. However, some of those were used for other functions too, like..." he shrugged again timidly "...like retaining my equilibrium or my vision." he shook his head and smiled at her encouragingly "It's really not your fault. I'm still too inexperienced with dealing with my emotions, especially if I'm exposed to a lot of intense feelings in a short time. I should have dumped all the running processes into my memory and deal with them later. Instead, I was keeping them in the cache of the chip. No wonder, it overloaded."

She let his hand go and just embraced him lovingly "Oh, you..." she planted small kisses on his hair and ear and cheek. He let her and just smiled timidly under her caresses. When she had enough, she pulled away a little and stroked his cheek "You scared the shit out of me." she admitted in a sigh and then smiled "But I think I can understand you. Sometimes I do the same."

He frowned suspecting that she was just pulling his leg "I do not believe you've mentioned anything about having an emotion-chip yourself."

She giggled and shook her head "Not precisely." she shrugged "Sometimes I can't break away from my intense feelings either. I keep thinking about them until they wear me out completely. It can be very distracting."

He listened intrigued cocking his head to one side "And what do you do when you experience this phenomenon? Do you have the ability to put your emotions away to process them at another time?"

She glanced away pondering "Well... sorta..." she looked back at him "There are certain relaxation techniques that can help ease your mind. Once you're relaxed, it's a lot easier to deal with your emotions. Though it's not possible to completely dismiss them as you're saying you can do."

He nodded thoughtfully then asked curious "What do such relaxation techniques involve?"

She shrugged "Simple things. A hot shower for example. It can help ease your mind." she smiled suddenly "How about trying it out on you now? It might help you relax too."

He suddenly seemed timid "It is really unnecessary. The unexpected shut down automatically dumped the emotional processes into a file to be dealt with later, thus freeing resources for the chip to operate within normal parameters."

She smiled leaning close to him seductively "Oh, come on, I'm talking about taking a shower together. Are you really saying no to that?"

He glanced away still a little unsure "I-I... do not like water-showers. I always use sonic-showers instead." he admitted wincing.

She gaped incredulously "Everybody likes showers, Deadpan, how can you not like them?"

He winced again "For a long time, my body was not fit to be immersed underwater. A few years ago, I sank to the bottom of a lake and had to walk over a kilometer to reach the shores. It took weeks to dry my servos afterwards. I asked Geordi to fix that, so now my servos are sealed watertight. However, I did not become fond of the thought of being underwater. It is really not for a hundred-kilogram android made mostly of metal. That is all."

She giggled rolling her eyes playfully "Oh, come on! Taking a shower is nothing like sinking in a lake! I show you! Come!" she told him jumping up.

What other choice did he have, when she was gazing at him with that seductive-playful gaze "Okay..."

* * *

Half an hour later, the bathroom door swung open, and they stumbled to the bed nude, soaking wet and kissing mindlessly. He turned them around in one motion, so when they landed on the bed, she was on top of him, and not reversed. But he quickly rolled her on her back and without any further ado, entered her. She seemed not to mind the rush - she was invitingly sopping wet. She sucked in a breath at the exquisite feeling of him inside her body, and shutting her eyes, she gripped his arm and shoulder sinking her nails into his skin. He claimed her mouth as he slid into her deeper but then pulled away as a groan of pleasure welled up in his throat. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he was pushing into her deeper and deeper staring right into her soul.

"Ah..." she moaned shutting her eyes for an instant then gasped helplessly "Please, please, please..." she went on whispering her mantra of pleasure.

"Don't beg, baby!" he soothed her but went on driving into her relentlessly "You'll get it! You'll get all you want!"

"More! I want more!" she moaned taking one of her hands away from his skin to grip the bedclothes underneath. She then suddenly felt him shudder above her and knew that he came still helplessly moving against her. He then suddenly pulled away, and the next thing she knew was his mouth on her, gently kissing her where she most wanted it. She wanted to scream, but somehow, she just grew silent writhing helplessly under his ministrations as she neared her climax. He kept kissing her and then slid one long finger into her wetness. She suddenly moaned and put her hand to his head instinctively, tangling her fingers into his wet hair, holding him firmly to her. He let her be in control and kept on kissing her, feeling her come after only a short moment.

When her hand dropped from the back of his head to the bed, and he felt her relax, he raised himself above her to look down at her face. She lay there gasping, with her eyes shut, then as she felt him take her into his arms, she opened her eyes and looked at him through her lashes.

"Sorry..." she whispered.

"Don't be silly!" he murmured to her holding her close "I like it, when you're making me aware of what feels good for you."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. She then felt him adjust his hips as he lay there between her legs, and before she could ask anything, he kissed her and entered her again. This time gently and patiently, not driven by mindless craving. She tightened her embrace around him suddenly feeling a catch in her throat - oh, god, how amazing he was! He cradled her lovingly as he moved against her and breaking away looked into her eyes. She was breathless, and her sweat mixed with the water from their shower on her skin. Her heart was drumming so hard in her chest that he not only felt it, but also heard it. The sound mixed with his own heart-beat, and he realized he liked the simple but passionate rhythm. With the silent sounds she was making, it all mixed into a special music in his ears. He smiled at the thought feeling himself slowly climbing towards his climax again.

She drew him close wrapping her legs again around his waist "Oh, babe..." oh, he was moving inside of her, and she let the feeling sink into her consciousness. It had no equal. No man made her feel the way he was able to. She was so completely free, she felt he made her fly. Yet she was bound to him so tightly that she felt more secure than ever in her life before. The thought fuelled her passion in a way she never before experienced.

He raised his head to look at her, and she could see that he was again close to his climax. But before reaching it, he gently pulled out of her. Losing the feel of him inside of her, she wrapped her arms around his neck in sudden desperation, but he looked deep into her eyes and commanded on his usual silent voice "Roll onto your stomach." Her breath was caught by the excitement triggered by the unknown, and she obeyed without a word. He lay between her legs and gently entered her again, this time from behind, pressing her hips down onto the bed.

He pushed deeper into her than he ever before was able to, and her lips parted at the unexpectedly intense sensation. He entwined his fingers through hers, where her hands clutched the bedclothes and then started to move.

"Ah... god..." was all she was able to whisper and heard him grunt in pleasure too. They were pressed together so tightly that the sensations multiplied with every tiny movement they made.

After a few long strokes, he quickened the pace, and their passion heightened. She had no idea how he was able to do this to her - she had no idea WHAT he was doing to her at all! These were all completely new and unknown sensations to her mind and body, and she had no idea where this exquisite build-up could be leading!

He then started to move inside of her just as rapidly as he was during their first coupling, and she felt she completely lost all her contact with the conscious part of her mind. It took a long moment for her to become aware of the sound of her soft moans, and her body moving against his movements frantically almost as if on its own volition, matching stroke to stroke. More, more "More!" she uttered helplessly, and he obeyed driving into her without the slightest sign of wanting to stop. She was gasping for breath and squeezed her fists holding his fingers tightly. Don't let it end! Just don't! EVER!

"Emma... come! I want you to come!" he murmured into her ear on a firm voice, because he was sure he would not last long - but this time he wanted them to climax together "Now!"

"Ah, don't stop, please! Please! Please! Begging you!" she heard herself moan helplessly and then felt her body tighten around him, while he was driving into her wildly almost completely out of control - as she experienced the most intense orgasm she'd ever had in her life.

And she wasn't alone. Data was shocked how close he was again to being completely overwhelmed by the sensations she was generating in him. Her body, her sounds, her fragrance, her whole presence had almost an intoxicating effect on his neural net, and he felt he needed to hold on to something to steady himself after his own climax. And as if she could read his thoughts, she drew his arms tightly around her - her embrace becoming his sole point of stability.

He rolled them to their sides still buried deep within her and gave her body a squeeze that couldn't have been called gentle. For an instant, she felt she couldn't breath, but then he loosened his embrace, and she found that somehow, she was not frightened by his strength or by that strange too tight hug. When she realized that her nails were sunk deep into his skin - deeper than it would have been possible with a human without hurting him - she understood that somehow she wanted that rough display of affection as much as he did.

She felt him cuddle up to her more tightly and bury his face into her neck and hair. And then she felt him sigh deeply. She smiled as she realized he could have gone on even more, but taking her boundaries into consideration, he probably had decided against it, and now needed to calm himself down. Crazy! It was just crazy how amazing he was! - And with his desires dismissed, she felt him leaving her body... leaving her with a profound sense of loss.

Her clarity of thought returned gradually as they were lying there listening only to each other's breathing for a few minutes, and she smiled.

"So." her voice was a little raspy, so she cleared her throat before going on "So you're saying you hate showers? After a foreplay in water leading into THIS?"

She heard him smile "I do hate showers. But I do adore your wet body against my own." he added and chuckled softly.

"Mmmm..." she let out a long breath trying to draw his arms more tightly around her "You're just..." but she didn't know how to finish. She ran out of superlatives.

"Just as much as you are." he whispered and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

After a few minutes of silent cuddling, she turned her head toward him, and he kissed her temple and ear lovingly. She then settled down again and sighed "Data."

"Hmmm?" she heard his muffled voice as he was busying himself planting small kisses on her shoulder.

"Tell me. How could you have been single when we met?"

He frowned puzzled and ran a hand up her arm, while nuzzling her neck with his nose "I believe we have already covered this particular subject."

"No, we haven't." she told him stubbornly, though she knew it was not entirely true.

Taking his lips off of her skin for a short moment, he told her "I have the impression that you're slightly... obsessed with this topic. I wonder why that is."

She sighed and turned a little toward him onto her back gazing at the ceiling "Because it's just so damn unbelievable!" she replied and looked into his eyes "You're smart, handsome, sweet, polite, caring... and you're a demigod in bed. What's wrong with the gals on the Enterprise that they didn't notice you? Really."

He glanced away embarrassed, especially because of her last remark "I was noticed, Emma, it's just... I didn't want to... I have told you about Jenna. I really felt I would be a disaster in a relationship, even if I had a desire to have a family. Before my emotion-chip... I was different. I viewed the world in a different way. Before Jenna, I did not notice, if somebody was interested in me. And after Jenna, I ignored it, if I did."

"Did she have such a huge impact on you? But you were going out for a very short time, weren't you?"

"Yes." Data sighed gloomily and regretted that the sweet afterglow slowly dissipated from his neural net as he recalled some of his gloomier memories. But after some consideration, he decided that somehow, it felt good to talk about all these things. Here they were, lovers in a very intimate embrace - the past could not hurt him anymore. "She was not the only one. She was one in the row of bad experiences I had with women." he told her honestly.

She turned around to be opposite him, and they settled against the pillow comfortably on their sides. She wrapped an arm and a leg around him stroking his mussed up hair with one hand and gently touching his lips with the other, while he slid his arms around her waist. She sighed "So then, here might be another story you could tell me."

He leaned close to her and planted a small kiss on her lips then obeyed and started to speak. "In the Academy, I was really very different from everybody else. I couldn't make friends. Though I tried hard... I just couldn't understand what was driving human interaction, how they were relating to each other... All my attempts became awkward, sometimes unacceptable by human standards. So I became isolated among my peers... Then a girl seemed to take an interest in me. Her name was Anina. We had some classes together, and she asked for some help with warp-engine design theories. I was very intrigued that somebody seemed to befriend me, so I went to her place one afternoon and..." he shrugged shyly trying to look for a modest enough expression.

"You hooked up." she smiled and stroked his cheek "That was your first."

He nodded with a deadpan expression "Yes. ...My programming dictated the same thing it dictates now. I am not designed to womanise. For me, that afternoon was a very important experience, and I tried to seek out her company afterwards. However, she was not willing to interact with me in any way. Finally, a friend of hers asked me not to stalk her anymore. And to emphasize her point, she told me that it was all just because of a bet."

Emma's eyes widened in shock "What?"

Data shrugged almost as if he was ashamed "She had a bet with her friends. They were curious whether I was... fully functional or not... in every way. I suppose they didn't consider the option of asking or the fact that I would have answered honestly, if they did."

She sighed as a painful expression clouded her features "Oh, baby..." she whispered and planted two short kisses on his mouth. His lips curled upward at it. She then stroked his cheek and smiled wistfully "So you didn't hook up with anyone else afterwards at the Academy?"

He shook his head "I was hoping she would change her mind."

She frowned surprised at this "You sound as if you were in love with that girl."

Data shook his head firmly "No. I had no feelings at that time. It was simply a matter of programming. My parents went to great lengths to make me have a conscience and to make me seek out new bonds with humans. I do consider the physical forms of pleasure to be the highest form of that kind of bonding - and my conscience wouldn't let me engage in it without any other purpose than to form such a bond. I understand that there are a lot of human males who share my view." he said with such innocence that it took her breath away.

She smiled a bit regretfully "Well, not as many as you might think. But some do, yes."

"I waited till the end of the Academy. Then on the graduation day, she was the one who approached me. She said she regretted what she'd done, because she never thought it would have such a profound impact on me, and she didn't want to cause me any pain. I reassured her, that it was not possible for her to injure me in that fashion and that I hold no grudge against her." he told her almost matter-of-factly.

Emma gave him a sceptical expression "You're very generous, you know. I'd have wanted to exact some sort of a revenge, if I were you. And by the way, if you happen to know where she is now, I have a portion of arsine somewhere lying around here that I feel like using on her just about now."

He looked at her troubled "I assume you're only joking."

"Of course, I do!" she blurted then winced bemused "No, actually no." she sighed at his shocked expression "Babe, how can you be so okay with this? She was cruel to you! Without any reason! You really never wanted to get back at her?"

He shrugged with a helpless expression "My ethical programming doesn't allow me to think of any such thing as revenge... It would make me... be like my brother." he added on a silent, thin voice.

Emma saw how that thought hurt him, and she regretted pushing that subject instantly. She stroked his hair gently, and they locked gazes "And probably, your generosity makes you the best person I've ever met." it made him look as if he was about to blush with embarrassment, so she pushed him to go on with his story "Who was the next girl?"

He seemed to be thinking for a moment before going on "I was alone for a long time - in every sense of the word. On my first assignment, I was not able to make friends with anybody, just as I couldn't during the Academy. I was still much like a child. Asking too much, talking too much, pointing out things that people hated to hear. And I believe that my exemplary service didn't help me in making friends either. I gather, some of my shipmates on the USS Trieste were jealous. Retrospectively, I'd say they rather considered me more of a device to use than a living being to serve with... Please, don't look so shocked! It actually paid off, because I had to do tasks that were difficult or hazardous for an organic being, but not for me, and these tasks earned me my promotions and some of the highest honors of Starfleet... The attitude toward me changed on the Enterprise. On the flagship, only the best were allowed to serve, so nobody was jealous of my achievements. I barely could believe my eyes, when I saw the communiqué of my next assignment. I actually thought it was a human error at first. Not because I wasn't as good as to deserve to serve on the flagship, but rather because of the prejudices I faced till then... On the Enterprise, everything was very different to what I experienced till then in my life. I made friends - Geordi was the first. He never had any prejudices, he always thought we were similar in the way we are perceiving the world around us. 'Just the way it is.' as he tells me. Even people who first were vary of serving with me, like Commander Riker, discarded their prejudices in a matter of days..."

"So this is why you love this crew so much. This is why you are so bound to them." she realized for the first time finally.

He nodded and took a reluctant breath to go on "...And then there was Tasha..." but he trailed off trying to figure out how to go on.

Emma frowned thoughtfully "Tasha... that name does ring a bell. She was the girl lost during a mission long-long ago."

Data nodded as the picture of Tasha's lifeless body lying on the sand appeared vividly before his mind's eye "Yes. Yes she was..." he frowned surprised "How do you..."

"Beverly wrote about her to me. I was already on Epsilon, and we exchanged messages often. She was really distressed about it... Did the two of you...?"

Data nodded "It was during the poly-water intoxication incident. We were in effect... drunk... It was actually my fault again that I let it happen. 'Drunk' or not, I did believe her, when she told me she wanted love from me. I knew I would not be able to give her love as an emotion, however, I thought I would be able to give her love in all other ways. In my acts toward her, in my respect, in physical pleasure." he trailed off again gazing into nothing as he recalled how Tasha looked deep into his eyes - with so much lust and attraction in her blue gaze...

"So what happened next?" Emma asked on a silent voice.

He frowned still struggling to fully understand it "I didn't take the fact into consideration that at the time she told me those things, she was under the influence of the intoxication."

"Oh... So you think she didn't mean it. It was all because of you being kinda drunk." she concluded on a low voice.

He wore the most deadpan expression she'd ever seen on his face when he answered her "Afterwards, when we all sobered, she told me that it never happened." She let out a long breath shutting her eyes with a painful expression then felt his hand sweeping her hair out of her face gently. She opened her eyes and locked her gaze with his. He then drew her close, her soft hair caressed the skin of his cheek "It doesn't hurt, Emma. Please, do not feel distressed." he whispered to her gently.

She felt a catch in her throat as she buried her face into the nape of his neck "But I do feel distressed, baby. You're the sweetest guy I've ever known, you don't deserve to suffer so much." she kissed his skin and pulled away to look into his eyes "And there was this Jenna you already told me about..." she shook her head "No wonder you didn't want a relationship, when we first met. After this much pain and suffering, who'd want more?"

He shook his head and tried to smile at her encouragingly "I didn't suffer, Emma. I had no emotions. I felt no pain."

She frowned at him not believing a word "But these experiences did leave you scarred. Don't deny that!"

"I'm not denying that... When I utilized my emotion-chip, I had to process all of these experiences too, and at that time, they DID hurt. But it doesn't matter anymore." he stroked her cheek lovingly "You're here, in my arms. There's a certain harmony between the two of us that I've never experienced before with anyone. These memories, these ladies... all belong to the past. And the past is behind, the future is ahead, and it holds you. Telling you about all of this was relieving for a reason I don't fully understand yet. However, I did not tell you this to hurt you."

"I know, I just..." she sighed and touched the tips of her fingers to his lips "What I've told you on the roof is still true... somehow I feel I have to protect you... and it's really frustrating that I can't protect you from the past. Don't ask me why I feel this way, I know it's totally unreasonable."

His lips curled upward, and he looked at her in wonder "It is also most affectionate of you."

Her embarrassed smile turned to a flirtatious one "Come here!" she called, and he kissed her on the lips tenderly.

Then the kiss deepened, and she pushed him to his back, finally straddling him. She broke away and looked down at him from above "Let me try to overload that chip of yours again." she whispered and started kissing him on his neck. He chuckled and held her close feeling the same happiness he did on their first night together.


	31. Chapter 31

**Rated M for language**

* * *

"Help!" Picard heard a muffled voice from the direction of the billboard, and understanding that he now could do little to remedy the situation that he'd left Beverly alone, he decided to try to help where he actually could. He started to run to the bunch of people and shouted to distract them:

"Hey!"

The bunch stopped hitting the man who was already on the pavement, and the thugs turned their heads toward Picard. They were young and seemed to be pretty hell-bent. The Captain fingered his Type-1 Phaser in his pocket realizing that he might have had to use it. They were five. But he also knew that he had to at least try to protect their cover, and not show off any 24th century widgets - so he took his hand out of his pocket, and decided to go with what he had in the 21st century: his fists, and his speed.

"I believe there are more civilized ways to settle a conflict, gentlemen." he told them on a low voice.

One of them took a step toward him with a grunt "Is there? Don'cha wanna show us, little man?"

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before the Captain answered "Hopeless." he grimaced in mock-disappointment "For you, the foundations are missing."

In this moment, the closest - and burliest - thug jumped him and tried to hit him on the face. Picard dodged and fended off the attack by one single punch on the bully's chin, and the youngster collapsed on the pavement unconsciously. He silently thanked Mr. Worf for the invaluable mok'bara lessons he received from the Klingon while he was still on board the Enterprise. But the Captain had no more time to feel nostalgic: the shock of the thugs was wearing off, AND they seemed utterly irritated.

Picard fought mightily and only using his fists, while he had to deal with only two of them. But when the other two started to join in, and one of them had a knife in his hand, he realized he had no other choice, he had to use his phaser. He took it out, aimed, and stunned the thug with the knife. The young man collapsed on the pavement next to his colleague already lying there. But to his surprise, the others just became even fiercer: though they seemed surprised by the weapon, it wore off in a moment, and only unrestrained rage remained in its wake! They jumped him all at once, and one of them grabbed him from behind, making him drop his weapon. The two others punched him in the stomach simultaneously - and he started to realize that he made a grave mistake by not stunning them in the first place, instead of engaging into this fight (or rather by coming to this cursed planet altogether).

He received some more blows on the stomach and chin and eyes before he heard one of them speak, and he realized he blacked out for a (brief?) moment: "You're one of those too..." another blow on the face, which he suffered with a silent grunt "...all your alien-lover, freak friends at the Resistance will end up like you! All of them!" he heard the raspy voice shouting at him, and he realized that he couldn't see properly, because his eyes were already so swollen. Suddenly, he grew really scared - which he had no time for till this very moment. How was he going to survive this?!

And almost as if the universe wanted to answer him, he heard a familiar female voice from the distance "Stop it!" he then felt his lips hurt as they involuntarily curled up into a ...well, into a grimace instead of the intended smile.

"Look what has the wind blown here?" Picard heard the sneer in that sentence, and a chill ran up his spine.

"Beverly..." he wanted to say, but only a whisper left his hurting lips - along with some blood. He then heard the sound of the phaser, then a grunt as a body slumped to the ground. Then Beverly's voice again:

"You better step back, young man, or you'll learn how it feels to be the bad guy in the 24th century!" her voice was firm, but at least an octave higher than normally, and the Captain could feel that she was scared. But he knew that only two remained of the five thugs, and they seemed to not have any weapons... In a moment's time, he felt himself to be let go, and he slumped to the ground. He then heard the sound of their hurried footsteps die away, and he understood that the two left. Beverly made it.

"Jean-Luc!" he heard and felt himself rolled onto his back. He then heard the familiar click and then the chirping sound of a working tricorder. He tried to open his eyes, but they just hurt so much... "Don't!" he heard Beverly's voice "Just lie still, and let me help!" she seemed to be very worried, so he obeyed. In a matter of moments, he heard another device working over his eyes and face, and felt the familiar warmth of his cell-metabolism speeding up as the device healed his wounds. The pain slowly faded.

He sighed and blinking, opened his eyes. Beverly was concentrating on healing the bruises on his chest and side - when did she open his shirt? "I'm glad... you found your way back to me!" he whispered with a faint smile, never noticing his Freudian slip.

Beverly glanced at him for a brief moment, then going back to work, she replied on a voice still audibly stressed "I got off the next stop and just took the tram to the opposite direction."

In a few minutes, he felt himself up to sit up, and holding on to her offered hand, he sat up with a grunt. She never looked into his eyes just took her hand out of his and pulled his shirt together, so he wouldn't get a cold in the chilly night. She buttoned the garment up to the neck, but to her shock, he put his hand on hers, where it fidgeted at his collar and finally, they locked gazes.

She again felt spell-bound as they stared into each other's eyes for what it seemed an eternity. Her hand turned warm in his firm grip, and she couldn't help feeling that she missed that... she missed his touch, and the feeling of wanting more of it, suddenly gripped her with a new intensity she had never felt before! Her gaze dropped to his lips instinctively.

"Thank you..." he whispered, and she looked into his eyes again feeling her cheeks burn as she felt his breath on her lips - they were so close! "Thank you for saving my life!"

At that, reality sank in as suddenly as it had fled her mind before: she sighed impatiently, realizing what had just took place, and took her hand away with a frown "Why didn't you wait for me?! Why did you have to take on the five of them all alone?!"

At that, the carved-in-stone expression returned to his face "What other choice did I have, Beverly? Watch them as they kill him?" he asked on a hard voice nodding toward the still unconscious boy, lying under the billboard.

Beverly stood up and hurried over to him, while Picard walked over to the stunned thugs. They would wake up with a minor headache, but otherwise didn't seem to need medical attention.

"Jean-Luc!" he heard Beverly calling him again, and he walked over to where she was crouching next to the boy. "Look at him!" Beverly said on a softer voice as she finished healing the wounds on his face. He squatted to the other side and looked at the kid with a frown.

"Well... it seems I will need to pick a bone with this kid, once he's conscious... he has almost killed me twice tonight: once personally, and once by-proxy. Call me old fashioned, but I don't take that well." he taunted with a humour he did not feel in his heart.

"You'll have a chance for that in a moment." Beverly answered, and the boy started to stir and wake.

As Gary opened his eyes, he didn't recognize either Picard or Beverly from a few hours prior. His first instinct was to try to run, and Picard had to hold him down forcefully. "Easy, boy! You're among friends." The kid blinked around scared for a moment longer before realizing where the two strangers were somehow familiar.

"You're Emma's friends..." he breathed frowning.

"That's right." Beverly nodded with a smile, then let his hand go as she finished healing his bruises there. "There. Good as new!" she declared.

The kid stared at his healed hand then fingered his face "Wow..." he breathed realizing that he'd been healed of wounds so severe that he'd have to spend weeks in a hospital to recover from them, if it wasn't for the technology the Starfleet officers used. He locked gazes with Beverly, who got the impression that he was contemplating whether he should thank them or not - and saw that finally, he decided against it...

"Did Earl send you to find me?" the kid asked with a sudden frown.

Picard and Beverly looked at each other, and eventually, the Captain answered "Let's just say, you were lucky to be found!"

Gary snorted "You can tell him I could've protected myself, if I still had my gun!" he jumped up and then stopped short feeling once again that nothing hurt! He moved his shoulder with a satisfied smile - as a 'side-effect', he'd been cured of a few years old sport-injury too!

The Starfleet officers stood too "Guns are not for kids! Not in the 21st century, and certainly not in the 24th!" Picard answered on a serious tone and watched as Gary went for his discarded backpack.

"I can't always have somebody with a valid gun-licence around, when I want to do my job!" the kid answered as he picked up his bag.

Picard and Beverly walked up to him, and the former asked with mild incredulity "And what sort of job is that?"

"Resisting the government any way possible!" Gary answered and pulled out a can of spray-paint. "See?" he pointed to the billboard.

"Let's stop the Federation together!" Beverly read out the propagandistic label on a blue background.

Gary shook the can a few times, then sprayed the blue paint over the word 'Federation'. The Starfleet officers watched him now curious as he fetched a white paint can from his bag and painted 'xenophobia' over his blue paint.

Then he turned back to them with an undoubtedly proud expression "This is what the Resistance calls civilian disobedience. In a democracy, this is legal. On Epsilon Four however..." he shrugged grimacing.

"Were you beaten up because of that?" Beverly asked on a soft voice.

"Kinda yeah..." Gary shrugged again and put the can back into his pack.

"Who were these people?" Picard asked frowning.

Gary sighed impatiently - he wanted to be on his way "Some fascist sons of bitches who guard their beloved propaganda! I don't give a rat's ass about who they were, and you should neither. Just leave me the fuck alone." he started to walk away in the dark street.

Picard and Beverly looked at each other taken aback "Where are you going?" Beverly asked, and they started to hurry after him.

"Where. To get the job done. There are thousands of billboards to paint over. Find some for yourselves and leave me the shit alone!" he growled hostilely.

They caught up with him, and Picard grabbed him by the arm "Now, wait there a minute, will you." Gary glared at him defiantly, but didn't try to get away "I believe, we've saved your life just now, and it's really bad manners to be so curt to your helpers. Would you care to tell us what we've committed against you, young man?"

Gary pulled his arm away, and this time, his eyes were blazing with hatred "You dare ask?! It's your fault that we have to live this way!" he barked.

Beverly frowned in shock and disbelief "You're not saying that even as part of the Resistance, you believe all this propaganda."

Gary rolled his eyes "No, you idiot! Don't ya understand?! The propaganda exists because of you! Because of the Federation! You let Epsilon Four break away! You let Hague and Jones get unrestricted power over everything and everybody here! You just left us here to die or worse! You let all the people on this planet down! And you expect me to thank you for saving my life?! Here it is: thanks for saving what remained of it for the few more days the Resistance has left, until they catch and silence us all forever!"

They watched him shocked for a moment longer, not being able to answer the same nagging accusations Emma had voiced before coming here. They just stared into the broken gaze of a child not having anything to lose anymore.

And as if to prove his words, all of a sudden three police cars circled them, and before Picard could even think of running, he found himself with his face against the hard pavement, his hands behind his back, and he had no idea what happened to the others before he was shoved into a car and taken to god knows where...


	32. Chapter 32

Data stood at the tall window of Emma's room now wide open and waited for her to finish her morning routine in the bathroom. It was still early, but the weather was delightfully sunny and warm. The view on the studio lot was nothing like Data had ever seen before with its different sets and façades all around them stretched over the broad horizon.

He sighed, and a small smile appeared on his lips. He was happy. Really happy! Here they were, in the middle of a dangerous mission, after days of fighting and doubting each other, and on top of that all, he was a few days - or maybe just hours? - away from a procedure that would leave him virtually mutilated. And he felt happy. It was extremely peculiar how his emotions evoked within him. Almost without any logical reason or pattern. But, oh, yes! he had a good reason to be happy! He was together with the woman he loved, and they finally reconciliated - whatever else mattered in the universe?

And suddenly there was music in the air. He frowned surprised and listened intently. First, a piano could be heard, and after a few accords, he heard the voice of a male singing. He recognized the voice to be Earl's. He frowned confused. The song of the old man seemed to be as happy as he was! Almost as if his mind was read. As he listened on, the smile returned to his face.

 _"I was blue, just as blue as I could be_  
 _Ev'ry day was a cloudy day for me_  
 _Then good luck came a-knocking at my door_  
 _Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore"_

Emma stepped out of the bathroom in a single robe and chuckled softly seeing him so intensely concentrating seemingly on the the view.

Then she heard Earl's voice too:

 _"Never saw the sun shining so bright_  
 _Never saw things going so right_  
 _Noticing the days hurrying by_  
 _When you're in love, my how they fly"_

And her smile broadened recognizing the song immediately. Data turned to her and smiled back as she walked up to him crooning softly. When she got to him, they embraced, and Data cocked his head: "This song is in complete correlation with my mood - and the weather as well!"

Emma giggled softly and sang with Earl:

 _"Blue skies_  
 _Smiling at me_  
 _Nothing but blue skies_  
 _Do I see"_

Then smiled at him with sparkling eyes "Hmmm... It's my all time favourite by Irving Berlin. Earl knows well how to start my day." He seemed to tense up for a moment then immediately tried to cover it, and Emma laughed apologetically "Sorry, babe, I didn't mean to spoil your good spirits! But there really isn't anything to be jealous about."

"I'm not jealous!" he replied almost before she finished her sentence, which made her chuckle even more, then looked at him with calm, sincere eyes.

"Believe me, if he's singing this song for somebody this morning, it is certainly not me!" she told him on a soft, caring voice.

Data looked at her questioningly and after a moment of thinking asked "Judging by your choice of words and the tone of your voice, I'd surmise that you're implying a certain thing. However, I'm not sure I understand what exactly that thing is."

She smiled at his innocence "Didn't you see how they looked at each other last night?"

"Who?" his frown deepened.

Emma rolled her eyes playfully "Who, babe... Your mom and Earl."

His eyes widened to the size of two saucers at this "My mo..." he gaped "What do you mean by 'how did they look at each other'? How DID they look at each other?" he asked and instantly started a search through his data banks of the memories of yesterday evening. Whatever did he miss?! Again...

She giggled on "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you have Oidipal problems, Deadpan!"

He frowned bemused - good feelings now completely gone! "You're suggesting that my mother and Mr. Mils... That they..." but he trailed off into blinking like a carp, not exactly knowing what he wanted to say. Not exactly daring to imagine...

She nodded now with a half-serious expression "I sincerely hope so, Deadpan. And if not, I hope they at least started on that road!" she told him poking him on the chest with her forefinger for emphasis. Then let him go and started to dress.

"But...!" he started but couldn't finish - he felt lost for words, which was not very common since his activation on Omicron Theta. He tried to imagine her mother and this male they barely knew anything about as they... kissed or hugged or... uhhh... He shook his head with - disgust? He wasn't even sure what he was disgusted about!

"But what?" she asked putting on her top and buckling her belt "Don't be such a child, babe! Don't ya think they deserve some fragment of happiness too?" she asked knowing the answer he'd normally give, if he wasn't so upset about it as he was! She watched him standing there blinking ahead confused, and she smiled at his childlike reaction. She stepped up to him now dressed and put her arms around his neck. He reluctantly slid his around her waist. "Baby. Your mother is an extraordinary woman. And Earl, believe me, is an equally remarkable man. ...And they're both very, very lonely." she added on a low voice.

He seemed to contemplate this with an unsure expression and then nodded "I... I know." he sighed "I know that my mother... misses my father very much. I can see it every time I remind her of him, but..."

"Earl takes after you a lot." she nodded in acknowledgement "And so, he takes after your father as well, am I right?"

Data nodded "Yes. I just... I just don't want her to... lie to herself. I don't want her to be disappointed. Or hurt."

She smiled a reassuring smile "If she gets to know Earl, she won't be disappointed, nor hurt, trust me!" she then suddenly took her arms away from his neck and went to put on her coat from the rack "Anyways, Deadpan, the one fooling himself is not downstairs, but is standing right opposite me!" she sneered as he frowned confused, and she went on on a voice getting mockingly high-pitched with every word "You can rationalize all you want, but you're just a little boy jealous of his mommy!" she told him with her usual smirk on her lips. It took him a little more than a moment to realize that she was only teasing him.

He grimaced, but she knew it was not serious, as he energetically stepped to her, and they left the room together, as he replied "I cannot confirm your statement, but if I could, I'd say the benefit of this is to experience an emotion I never had a chance to before! Therefore, distracting as it may be, I'm content that I can analyse yet another novel emotion!"

"That's the spirit, Deadpan!" she answered giggling - and once again silently admired him for who he was.

* * *

Data still felt a little gloomy on their way to the mines. Earl drove his enormous auto-mobile, while Juliana was sitting next to him, and he and Emma were sitting at the back of the car. Earl drove off the main road, and the tyres rasped as they advanced on a seemingly unused path. The trees rushed by next to them as Data watched from the side window. Emma had fallen asleep with her head on his lap, and he absently stroked her hair as he glanced over to his mother. Juliana was asleep too - and he couldn't help himself wondering whether she was tired because of the same reasons Emma was fatigued. He turned his head back to the view bemused and started a processing thread to figure out why he felt so uncomfortable with the topic of his mother having this man in her life - if Emma was correct at all.

"Did you sleep well, Mr. Data?" he heard Earl's voice unexpectedly, and he turned his head sharply toward him. Earl was looking at him in the mirror.

"I do not require sleep. However, your concern is appreciated, Mr. Mils." he answered on a professional voice.

"Ah..." Earl nodded "Then you are a lucky man." he smiled slightly, and Data noticed that he DID seem tired. The older man glanced over to Juliana with a tender expression which made Data even more uncomfortable "At least they get their rest."

Data combed his fingers through Emma's hair gently, and she stirred towards his touch.

Then he heard Earl's voice again. This time it was grave and low "If we fail in our mission to find something against Jones, or something happens to me, please promise me, Mr. Data, that you'll take my little bird as far away from here as you can."

Data cocked his head "You must not worry, Mr. Mils. Emma is a member of the Enterprise crew. She is perfectly safe with us. We protect one another."

"I'm afraid Mr. Data that THAT won't suffice, if Jones decides to get her back. You all put yourselves into grave danger by coming to Epsilon. She especially! Jones considers her his personal property. Always have! And he doesn't give up on what he considers his own. Never underestimate him!"

Data frowned at this, feeling himself getting angry - but he couldn't exactly figure out why "I won't, Mr. Mils, but I refuse to be terrorised by rumours or assumptions."

"You do well, if you don't, Mr. Data." Earl said on a serious tone then seemed to decide on turning the conversation lighter. His expression softened into a delighted smile "Otherwise you'd have to believe that the leader of the Resistance is a murderous beast who drinks the blood of virgins in the light of the full-moons at midnight!"

Data stared at him surprised "Were you accused of cannibalism by the propaganda, Mr. Mils?"

Earl laughed a heart-felt laugh "Please! Don't give them ideas!"

Data finally smiled back. He had to admit, Earl was not THAT horrible. He seemed calm and wise AND caring - could he ask more for his own mother? He sighed gazing out of the window. But what would happen to them if - when - they had to leave the planet?

"Here we are." he heard the elder man's voice as he pulled over from the road and stopped the car. "We'll have to walk the rest. It's about two miles, but I don't want to risk them spotting the car. This is not exactly the type of vehicle the guards usually use." he explained and finally, put a gentle hand on Juliana's to wake her.

Data didn't force any more conversation, just woke Emma too.

As discussed earlier, they put on some 'costumes' for their snooping around: Emma and Juliana posed as prisoners, Earl and Data as guards. Earl explained that no women were allowed to take up the job of a guard, so they had little choice in the casting. They then left the car in the bushes, hidden and started for the mines on foot. By the time they spotted the tall fence, the tension was palpable - they had a very real chance of ending up behind that fence for real, if their cover were blown, and they got caught. Emma glanced at Juliana and saw that the elder woman tried hard to cover that her hands were shaking. On impulse, she gently took Juliana's hand and squeezed it tightly in hers. The elder woman looked back at first shocked, but then grateful.

They went through the first obstacle, the front gate without any problems. Earl showed the guards some papers and seemed confident enough to get them through with as few questions asked as was possible.

Within the perimeter, they then spotted some of the prisoners. They were sorting rocks into different crates. Most of them seemed to move sluggishly, as if they were completely exhausted.

"Don't watch, just move on." they heard Earl's silent voice, and all three of them snapped their heads toward him. He looked at the women with a strict expression "Keep your gazes on your toes until we're alone."

They obeyed him wordlessly, but Emma felt her heart was drumming in her chest. She squeezed Juliana's hand in hers, but suddenly, she felt somebody tearing their grip apart. They both stared behind them startled, and to their shock, found that it was Earl who touched them in such a violent fashion! To their disbelieving gaze, he snapped on a hard voice "Gazes down and move it!" And as Emma lowered her gaze, she finally managed to spot a guard standing just a few yards from them, fairly within ear-shot. She took a long breath understanding the elder man's behaviour now, and they started to move on inside the mines.

It took them an hour to reach the bottom of the mine, where the actual mining took place. It was an enormous hall with dark walls and a lot of noise, but without any modern equipment - even by 21st century standards. Juliana glanced around intently, though she tried to be as discrete as possible. The air was humid and hot, they were sweating already, and she had to fight the urge to wipe her face into the sleeve of these clothes - these clothes that were coming from people who once were real prisoners here.

There were a lot of workers here toiling with age-old methods, using shovels and picks, and she could barely believe her eyes seeing that they did actually mine dilithium this way! As if they were mining simple charcoal or iron ore - in the middle ages of Earth! It was inhuman and cruel, and barely effective. She got the impression that people who made prisoners work this way were not interested in the gained mineral itself, only in the suffering of the prisoners! It made her heart sink even lower. What if they really end up in this labour camp? Under the control of these monsters in uniforms?

Earl saw her face and understood her distress. He actually had felt it the first time he was here. By now, he learned to cope with the danger and the thought that he was not able to save everybody. He learned to be content with the fact that he saved all that he could. He glanced around to check whether anybody was looking their way, and when he was sure they were not watched, he reached out and gently touched Juliana's elbow.

"Concentrate, my dear!" she heard Earl's whisper and fought the urge to look at him as he went on "I know it's shocking. But the only way to help them is to find something against Jones. Do you see anything of use here?"

She felt his touch, and she was amazed that it instantly gave her some relief of the stifling anxiety she was feeling. She tried to take a deep breath and shook her head slightly "No. These are only the shallow depos. It's extremely difficult to mine the way they do, but this is definitely not alien technology."

Juliana was not the only one who was upset by what they saw. Emma's blood boiled at the sight, and her eyes were blazing against the humid semi-darkness as she answered without being asked "It's simple human brutality. We don't need aliens to learn about THAT - in fact, we're the ones who could give lessons to THEM..." and she trailed off as she felt a hard shove on her back.

She instinctively turned back just to meet Earl's ice-cold glare: "If this little bird wants to sing outside of this hell-hole, she'll have to restrain herself." he told her as they walked on. He could feel Data's gaze burning into his skin for touching Emma in that fashion once again, but they had no time for Emma's tantrums just now!

"Fine." Emma growled turning away almost sulking "I'll wait with my damning all of humanity to hell till we're out..." she snorted.

Earl didn't reply, just brought them into a smaller chamber at the far end of the hall. They were alone here, so a small measure of the tension lifted from their souls.

"Let's catch our breaths." Earl commanded because he could feel that Emma and Juliana were too stressed out to be of any use at the moment. Going on with them in their current mental state would have been pointless.

Juliana tried to take a few long breaths, but the air was too humid, and she felt almost as if she was suffocated by it. Earl and Data stepped outside to guard the small room, and as Juliana looked at her, Emma seemed to be more angry than scared. Juliana felt she envied her, because she was rarely frightened as much as she was now. She knew she somehow needed to divert her attention from her fear, so she looked around in the room. They were surrounded by crates and other stock: it must have been some sort of a storage room. There was barely any light here compared to the semi-darkness outside, but after a few seconds, her eyes got used to it, and she could see better. She turned around slowly then took a step further in when she caught sight of something seemingly out of place. She took two more steps further inside through the narrow gap between huge boxes, and fixed her gaze on a long pipe coming from underneath, running from the floor next to the wall and disappearing inside the high ceiling above.

Emma frowned hazily seeing her getting so preoccupied with a thing that seemed to her as trivial as a simple water pipe - with some fancy screws though. She could feel the humid air had a dizzying affect on her, like oxygen deprivation, and she felt drowsy the moment her anger passed. "What can you be staring at so intensely?" she mumbled and was surprised that she actually said the words.

Juliana turned back to her a little startled, but her face lit up with a small smile "That's what we're looking for."

Earl and Data came back inside hearing their voices. "What is it?" Earl whispered.

Juliana pointed to the pipe "That pipe belongs to the Taur-MX500 ventilation system used for deep mining!"

Data stepped up to her and stared at the pipe "Are you sure, Mother?" he spoke up for the first time since they started from the car.

"Yes. I recognize the assembly with those special screws and nuts you can see on the side of it. I used to work with such a system on Atrea to mine duranium ore. Completely unknown in the 21st century, the first prototype appeared a decade ago!" she explained excited.

A small smile ran over Earl's strict expression, and it passed just as quickly as it came.

"We need to know where it leads." Data stated.

They filed out of the room back into the huge hall, and Earl glanced around to get their bearings, then pointed toward the exit closest to where they saw the pipe "That way." The two women went ahead, while the men followed half a step behind, still keeping up their façade.

They went through half a dozen smaller chambers and rooms, and Emma felt she lost her sense of direction after so many turns - she was hoping fervently that the others knew the way out still - because she didn't for sure... They then arrived into a deserted corridor. There were pipes similar to the ones Juliana recognized coming out of it, and they wordlessly quickened their pace getting now really curious. When they stepped out of the corridor into a small chamber however, they found themselves face to face with the riffle of a burly guard.

"Stop!" he rasped.

Emma and Juliana stood frozen to the spot as Earl and Data stepped out of the narrow corridor behind them, and the guard lowered his gun seemingly reassured.

The guard locked gazes with Earl and chuckled a low, raspy chuckle "I thought they were wandering around."

There was a long pause, and Data almost finished calculating the minimum impetus and velocity he needed to knock the guard flat before he could fire his gun or call for help, when Earl's mouth twitched into a smile "Me and my friend here," he started slowly, lazily as if explaining himself in a prison camp was all he ever did "we thought we would show these ladies around our hospitable little facility."

Juliana and Emma exchanged glances with real fear growing in their eyes. Would the guard buy this? - Did what Earl was implying at actually happen to women in such a place?!

The guard snorted "Very good idea!" he rasped stepping to Emma. "Nice catch!" he remarked, and she looked him straight in the eye defiant as she heard her own heartbeat drumming in her ears. He grinned as he raised his hand to touch her, but before his finger met her skin, the world went blank around him for an instant. When he opened his eyes next, he saw Data lowering his fist where he was standing in front of the women, and Earl staring at him from above, where he was crouching over him.

"As I mentioned, ME and MY FRIEND HERE." the elder man emphasized his point on a slow, patient - blood-chilling - voice "And now if you'd give us some privacy."

The guard wordlessly jumped up and rushed out as fast as he could, dizzy as he was.

Emma let out a long breath of relief, she felt she'd been holding back from the moment that riffle was pointed to her chest.

"Is he not going to bring more guards?" Juliana asked looking at Earl worried.

He shook his head "We outrank him. He'll count his blessings that he got away with this little." he explained.

Emma shook her head to clear it a little "Shit, I felt like a frog in a frying pan. If I jump, I die, if I don't jump, I'm screwed." she growled - she was not sleepy any more at all. She looked up at Data who was standing wordlessly next to her watching her every move "Thanks, Deadpan."

His mouth twitched into a small smile, but Emma knew, he was far from feeling smiley. In fact, she has never seen him as stressed as he seemed now. - It was never a good sign when he was contributing to a team activity only wordlessly. Let that activity be preparing a stage performance or being on a mission...

Juliana and Earl were looking around the room, and after a moment, Data joined them by stepping up to them where they were looking at an appliance on the wall. It had a lot of switches and indicators but no labels. Data searched his data banks for anything similar he'd seen so far.

"Some sort of a console." he said glancing at Juliana "But I can find nothing similar to it in my data banks about mining."

"What about this?" they heard Emma's voice. She was standing next to the chamber entrance, where she found a small panel with only a few buttons. Before either of them could step to her, or anybody could ask anything, she grinned like a child finding an interesting toy "I always loved learning by trial and error." she declared and pushed a random button.

"NO!" all three of them shouted suddenly scared as to their utter shock, a huge metal door slammed down, closing the entrance. The next moment, the whole room jerked and then started to sink rapidly. They all needed to hold onto something, so they wouldn't fall.

"What the hell was that?! Are you crazy?! What did you push?!" Earl demanded stumbling up to her - they were still descending and with quite a speed!

"Would you just stop freaking out already?!" she asked and then laughed out loud pointing to the label above the panel. "Can't you read? It says 'E-LE-VA-TOR'! I have to admit, I expected a secret door to open, which would reveal the secret elevator for us as it does in every decent adventure holo-novel, but this was an even funnier punchline." she laughed at their expressions as they were standing there still with horrified expressions. "Oh, come ooon kill-joys! At least smile a little! What I just pushed won't kill us, but getting heart-attacks for being so stressed out WILL!" she suddenly giggled again "Oh, you should see your faces..."

But the others were not smiling. And seeing them looking daggers at her, Emma's smile disappeared in a moment too.

"You scared the crap out of us, little bird! Don't touch anything before consulting either of us!" Earl told her on a strict - AND upset - voice.

Emma rolled her eyes "Don't tell me, you wouldn't have pushed the button too, eventually. But yes, daddy! Whatever ya say, daddy! Will you change my nappy too?" but her sentence lacked all humor as she frowned now getting irritated.

Before Earl could answer and tell her off for her recklessness, the elevator slowed and then stopped.

The entrance door opened, and they found themselves in a huge, high chamber with a lot of machinery everywhere. They stepped out of the strange elevator, looking around gaping at the enormous sizes - a moment later, the door slammed shut and the noises told them, that the elevator cab automatically returned to where they started from.

They slowly walked about. There were no guards here. No prisoners. But there was light almost as if they were outside, and the air was fresh and clean.

"Where are we?" Emma asked staring around and above them - despite herself, somehow she felt she couldn't find her voice.

Juliana stepped to the machines and instruments, and Data followed her "Do you recognize any of this equipment?" he asked cocking his head curiously.

She shook her head "I can only guess by the similarity of some of these things to the tools I used on Atrea and elsewhere." she pointed to a three-storey tall machine "That's the ventilation system I was talking about. But I was wrong. Though it's similar, it is NOT the Taur-MX500. It's better. And it's definitely not human. I've never seen this anywhere before." she told them touching her palm to a panel.

It glowed, and a covering metal moved away to reveal some combuttons underneath. No label could be seen, only the buttons.

Earl stepped up next to them looking at the panel frowning "How can you be sure that it's not human?"

She glanced at him absently "I'm familiar with the designs of most mining equipment originating from Earth or the colonies."

"Can this be Romulan?" Earl voiced the question all of them had on their minds.

"I don't know, but I've never seen such equipment before." Juliana told him still looking at the controls of the machinery. After studying it for a good few minutes, she spoke up on a silent voice "I've been in this field for decades, I'd say if I haven't encountered such a device as this before, there is a fair chance this was made using technology outside of the Federation." she finally raised her gaze and looked at Earl with a meaningful expression "If you want evidence to prove the fact that your government is using alien technology - any alien technology - despite the laws it's enforcing on its people, you'll never get a better piece of evidence than this one."

They locked gazes, and Emma knew she'd never seen Earl more impressed than at that moment. It was all they ever wanted! It was all he lived for for the last couple of years - ever since his son died.

Data wordlessly took a tricorder out of his pocket and scanned the instrument thoroughly, while Juliana examined the rest of the panels and tried hard to memorize all that she'd been seeing here, so she could give a detailed testimony about it.

"Let's get the hell out'a here." Emma told them, when Data finished scanning and put away the tricorder. They started back for the elevator without any further ado - they all wanted to get away from here as fast as they could.

But suddenly, Data raised his head sharply "Somebody is coming!"

They gazed at him confused, not hearing the voices he'd heard before any organic humanoid could have. But there was no time to explain. He took the two women by the arms and pushed them toward a huge rock only a few feet away from the elevator. Earl followed them, and the moment, they managed to hide behind it, the doors of the elevator opened again.

They watched the people filing out of the cab in shock: five black-haired Romulan males were followed by a blond female, and to Emma's utter disbelief, she was talking to her husband. She instinctively put her hand to her mouth - she knew that her husband was a criminal, but THIS?!

They walked lazily up to the machinery, out of the group's ear-shot, and seemingly started to talk on a hushed voice.

"What are they saying?" Emma whispered to Data who was pricking his ears like a hound dog watching some precious game. Emma was surprised to see that he seemed almost as shocked as she was.

Data felt stunned. From all people, from all the Romulans, it had to be her! Every time he saw THAT face, it had a stunning effect on him. No matter whether the person whom the face belonged to was called Tasha Yar or Sela...

After a moment, he realized he had to put his feelings of surprise and confusion on hold to concentrate on the mission at hand. He started a new processing thread to be able to repeat to them what he was hearing of the conversation, and he started to whisper as they watched Edmond and Sela talking.

Ed seemed awfully satisfied "...we've reached the amount of thirteen mobvers a day as you said we would... fully automated. No staff needed ever since your people configured it."

Sela then nodded with a smirk "You'd be in great trouble, if it wasn't for our superior automation technology. I find myself wondering how you would even operate it with the help of the foolish chimps you are calling your people... enough of this little demonstration of yours. I won't be overwhelmed by something that's trivial on my own planet. What did you bring us here for?"

"To show you that we have capacity for even more! With one more machine like this one, we could double the production rate!"

Sela took a few steps seemingly considering then turned back to him with a suspicious expression "Romulus does not need more dilithium than we are getting from you right now! We made no indication of buying more from you than we are buying right at the moment. So am I to understand that you want to sell dilithium produced by OUR superior technology to OTHER species?! That by far is not in the interest of the Romulan Empire!"

Ed closed the distance between them "I need all the money I can get to stabilize my power. And THIS IS an interest of the Romulan Empire as well, not just me! Think about it with your superior intellect! Who would you be doing your deals with, if I was overthrown, and some hardheaded fundamentalist, like Hague used to be, takes my place? Your fruitful little business would be over for god-knows how long! What would you do then? Dilithium is scarce and expensive. Losing a reliable and cheap source of it would not by all means help your career, am I right? At least, that is what my inferior intellect tells me. Or would you simply conquer the colony and take up the consequences of breaking the Treaty of Algeron? You are a better chess-player than THAT!"

Sela seemed to be considering what she'd just heard with a bemused expression.

Juliana looked at Earl and Emma, while Data watched the Romulans on "It seems we were right in most of our guesses."

Earl shook his head "I always knew he was a hypocritical prick, but to stoop this low..."

Emma just stared ahead wordlessly. She kept hearing Ed's voice in her head, when she'd been begging him to let the doctors use 24th century technology to figure out why she kept losing their babies... There's no way, ma chérie! We cannot be an exception to the law! And you accepted this, when you agreed to stay here, you know that! Now here they were, under the exact same laws as before, but this time, Ed COULD make an exception to the law - for his own power-greedy, petty little interests! She felt a flood of anguish covering her body, her soul, her whole being! It made her start to get up from behind the rock to face this man and tell him that... but before she could step out, somebody forcefully pulled her back. And as she looked into the worried and stunned eyes of Data, her soul was dragged back into reality as well... What was she doing?!

"What the hell are you doing?!" it was Earl who asked the question she herself had no answer to, on a high-pitched whisper, and Emma could see the utter shock on his face.

"...what is it..." Data heard from the direction of the Romulans, and putting a finger in front of his mouth, he indicated for his friends to be quiet so that he could listen on.

He peered out and spotted Edmond looking straight in their direction. He crouched back soundlessly, and the others stared at him now scared to death. He had to admit, he now shared the feeling.

"...for a moment, I thought there was somebody there..." Data heard Ed's unsure voice.

"Scan the area!" Sela ordered, and Data quickly fetched his phaser from his pocket.

"Did you hear anything?" she asked Edmond, and peering out, Data could just glimpse that he shook his head negatively. But there was no time to wonder about how he could have known that they were there, if he heard nothing. Two Romulans were heading in their direction, and Data locked gazes with Earl. The elder man understood without a word, and they nodded in union before standing and stepping out of the cover of the rock.

"Deadpan..." Emma cried on a terrified whisper and was just about to jump after them, when Juliana caught her and put her hand firmly on her mouth. A panic stricken Emma looked back at her, and the only thing that kept Juliana from feeling the same emotion was the knowledge that her son was a decorated Starfleet Lieutenant Commander! He knew exactly what he was doing! She locked her determined gaze firmly with Emma's and slowly took her hand away from the younger woman's mouth. She took the shaking hands of her terrified friend in hers as they listened on in horror, and though she was not religious, she prayed for their lives.

Data and Earl stood face to face with two Romulan soldiers at gunpoint. Data understood that their Type-1 phasers stood no chance against the Romulan disruptors, so after a fraction of a second, he let the gun drop from his hand. Earl reluctantly followed his example. The point was not to put up a fight. The point was to stop them from discovering Emma and Juliana.

"Earl Mils. What a surprise!" Edmond stepped up to them closely followed by Sela. "I haven't seen you for ages."

"If I never saw you again, you son-of-a-bitch, it would've been too soon." Earl growled on a low voice.

"The feeling is mutual, my old friend." Ed covered his hatred with an ambitious smirk quickly "Tell me, what have you been doing these days? Of course, apart from leading your pitiful, little organization - the Resistance."

"That pitiful, little organization is causing quite a nuisance to you, as I understand. Otherwise why would you be spending so much attention to what your old friend has been doing these days?" Earl equalled.

"Speaking of old friends..." Sela stepped up to Data "The android who came to be admired and feared even in our Empire - this time disguised as a human! What a strange coincidence that once again we meet underground. It will be an honour for our cyberneticists to reprogram you to serve US!"

There was a moment of silence as Data refused to requite any of the remarks, and Edmond had to face the truth about his wife's lover... The man, she had chosen over HIM!

"Android?!" Edmond gaped and just couldn't hide his utter shock and disbelief.

"Yes." Sela nodded "I trust you've never seen one before. He's the only one in the Federation. We've been trying to come up with as a sophisticated design as he is without much success for years - now we'll have the necessary resources!" she smiled, and her eyes shone with a peculiar excitement.

But Edmond heard nothing of what she said. He and Data were glaring only at each other, and Ed had no intention of hiding his jealousy anymore. This new-found knowledge fuelled such a loathing, that even he was surprised that he was capable of such and emotion. "...an android... a machine..." Ed whispered with disgust and clenched his jaw, eyes blazing with sizzling hatred as he stepped right in front of Data - they could feel each other's breath on their faces. "And you dared lay eyes on my wife..." he whispered sending chills up everybody's back - except Data's - he went on on a dangerously low voice "...by the time I'm finished with you, machine, you'll curse the name of whomever brought you into this world."

Sela watched them confused and stunned. Then in the next moment, Ed took a step back without taking his eyes off of Data he called to the Romulan soldiers "Search the chamber! You'll find a woman hiding somewhere around!"


	33. Chapter 33

The moment they set foot in the mines, Data felt, his resources were almost thoroughly occupied by fear. It was distracting, and he did all he could to somehow dispel this growing sense of foreboding, but the deeper they got into the mines, the worse it became. He was silently grateful for the fact that Earl seemed to willingly take up the role of the leader, and almost felt bad that his pride had been hurt when Picard had questioned his ability to lead an away-team comprising of his mother and his lover... How naive he'd been to think he could manage such a responsibility!

Then when Jones noticed their presence, it was almost a climactic feeling: as if he knew all along that the inevitable would happen. Almost as if they were predestined to get caught. He didn't need to think twice to get up from behind the rock with the sole purpose of protecting Emma and Juliana - at any cost.

He didn't reply to Jones' insults. It would have been pointless. He just hoped that the man's hatred for him would be enough distraction from his wife. He was proven wrong a moment later.

"Search the chamber! You'll find a woman hiding somewhere around!" Ed ordered, and Data was vaguely surprised by the fact that the Romulans were ready to obey him!

As the soldiers took a few steps from Jones and Sela to look around, Data used his only remaining asset to their advantage: his speed. In a fraction of a second, he wrapped his long fingers around Edmond Jones' neck: "Stop them, or he dies." he told Sela on his usual silent voice.

Ed felt the pressure of his rival's fingertips on his neck: it wasn't strong enough to break his neck, but it was unyielding, and he knew if he moved even an inch, he could be dead the next moment. At this thought, panic spread over his face, and he started to breath harder - and with Data's hand on his throat it was terrifyingly difficult.

Sela raised a hand, and his soldiers stopped only to point their guns at Data.

"You don't stand a chance against our disruptors, android!" Sela hissed "Let him go!"

"I do not mean to be rude, but judging by the conclusion you've come to, I believe you erred in your calculations." Data replied only looking into Edmond's eyes who stared at him shocked at the terrible tranquillity he'd displayed.

Sela raised an eyebrow in irritation as she unfolded her arms "Is that so?"

Data nodded still with a deadpan expression on his face, while Edmond wrapped his trembling hands around his wrist and tried in vain to free himself. Data didn't seem to care about Jones' efforts, he kept on holding his neck as he answered "First, you would have to give them an order to which they would have to react." Data told her on a matter-of-factly voice turning his head to her, still ignoring Jones' struggle "Romulan reaction-time is slightly faster than the corresponding human value, but it still is somewhere around 150 milliseconds. By this time, we are still only at the point, where your subordinates know what they have to do, but have yet to act to obey the order. They would still have to pull the trigger. The nerve conduction velocity of Romulans is slightly slower than that of humans and depends on age, hight and other factors, still it would be around 130 milliseconds, in general. I have no detailed information on this certain Romulan disruptor type, but I believe it would take some more time for it to heat the plasma, and for the emitted material to cross the air and reach me. I'd estimate, this process would give me about 500 milliseconds altogether to simply tighten my grip..." he turned back to Jones to look deeply into his eyes "That action only takes about 200 milliseconds, maybe less, based on the fact that I'm very motivated." At that, Edmond stopped struggling and just gaped in fear.

Data started a separate processing thread to examine what had just left his lips - because, however shocking they might seem, these words WERE true! This man who had tortured Emma for a decade, and still tried to use all means to possess her, now proved himself to be a traitor to the Federation and to all that he believed in. He knew he could have tried to understand his behaviour to make more reasonable decisions - but he didn't feel quite like that right at the moment. He rather felt more like getting rid of him... for good.

Sela could barely cover the frustration in her voice when she asked "What makes you think I care about a human?!"

Data cocked his head to look at Sela once again. He opened his mouth to answer, but to their utter shock, he spoke on Edmond's voice: "I need all the money I can get to stabilize my power. And THIS IS an interest of the Romulan Empire as well, not just me! Think about it with your superior intellect! Who would you be doing your deals with, if I was overthrown, and some hardheaded fundamentalist, like Hague used to be, takes my place? Your fruitful little business would be over for god-knows how long." he gazed back into the terrified eyes of Jones "Do I need to continue?"

"What do you want?!" Edmond burst out trying hard to catch his breath through his teeth.

"I want all of my companions to leave this place safely!" Data answered still on an enviably calm voice "Beam us back to our ship. And I will give you a leeway before starting to look for your ship, so you can get back to Romulan space before the Enterprise discovers that you committed a sever breach of the Treaty of Algeron."

Sela eyed him with disgust. It took her a few more moments to conceded to the fact that she was beaten "Fine." she spat eventually.

Data nodded and loosened his grip around Jones' throat before letting him go - it was oddly difficult, and the peculiar feeling made Data almost scared of himself.

Ed stumbled a few steps away as he started to cough painfully and felt his neck with his hands. Then in the next moment, they heard Emma's panic stricken voice.

"No, Deadpan! Don't let him go!" she screamed, and as Data turned back from her to Jones, he had only a fraction of a second to react. He ducked and avoided the disruptor blast which reverberated in the huge chamber. In the same moment, Emma reached Edmond's arm and grabbed at it to get the gun. They struggled for only a short moment, Ed was a lot stronger than she was, and by the time, Data reached them, Ed was holding the gun to Emma's head making Data stop short.

Edmond smiled as the Romulans walked up to them pushing Juliana and Earl up to where Data was standing.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Emma hissed but stopped struggling when she felt the muzzle right under her jaw line. Data stood as if frozen to the spot. A chill slowly crawled up his spine - he never had such a sensation of terror before.

Ed chuckled "Now-now, ma chérie. No more rude language, you are back in your home, remember? You're not a uncouth soldier but a celebrated primadonna here! Anyways, why do you blame me? You knew exactly what would happen, didn't you. Only your little fuck-toy could have been so naive to believe the promise of a single word against disruptors!" he laughed and looked into Data's eyes "Welcome to the 21st century! You really thought I'd let you go?"

Then in the next moment, he turned the gun from Emma to Earl, reached out with his arm taking aim, and shot.

"No!" Emma screamed as the green light left Edmond's gun.

Data had plenty of time - in android terms - to decide what to do. He calculated the odds and the time he would need to reach Earl and push him out of the blast's way, but he knew he wouldn't have made it in time. He had no other chance but to take the risk of taking the blast himself.

There was no pain, only the android equivalent of feeling something extremely hot against the skin as his uniform burned into the bioplast and endo-skeleton of his body underneath. He was prompted from several monitoring systems that he was losing hydraulics fluid from his fractured shoulder servo, and that there was no viable connection from his primary processors to his right hand and fingers anymore. He realized he could not move his right arm from the shoulder down - the metal of his endo-skeleton was visible under the shreds of his clothes. He'd have to run a full diagnostic once they were safely out.

"No! Data!" he heard Emma's panic stricken scream, saw that Ed turned the gun this time to him - with a delighted smile on his face nonetheless - but he had no time to react to either of them. Suddenly, the earth underneath their feet began to shake violently, and they all stared around startled.

"What's this?" Sela asked with growing agitation in her voice as the shaking became wilder with ever passing second and rocks started to fall from the walls and the ceiling of the chamber.

"Just a tremor. It's usual on Epsilon. It'll stop in a..." Jones started, but Juliana cut him off on an alarmed voice.

"No! This is no tremor! Dilithium lattices fracture under ricochets! The chamber will collapse!" she shouted as the noise of the shaking earth-crust creaked all around them.

"Get out of here!" Sela ordered and started to move towards the elevator, but she barely could remain standing on her feet. A huge piece of stone fell onto a Romulan soldier right next to Jones who lost his footing too at the impact. The soldier never stood up again, and as Jones fell to the ground, he pulled Emma with him. The gun fell and disappeared under some debris. Grabbing at the opportunity, Emma tried to get away from him, but she could barely get up on her feet, the ground was moving so violently.

Data slowly managed to realize that in the disruptor blast, he lost his third and forth sub-processors, which meant that as his other processors were under a higher load, his reactions became considerably slower than usual. He looked around and decided that their only chance was reaching the elevator. He took his mother's arm with his good hand and started for the elevator door. Earl followed without a question.

Emma was grabbed by two Romulans and was dragged towards the elevator too. "Let go!" she screamed as she fought them mightily. She actually never thought it through how she could have survived if she didn't leave with the elevator, she just didn't want to be separated from her friends.

By the time Sela, the two Romulans, Edmond and Emma managed to reach the elevator door, the ceiling of the chamber fractured and started to come down upon them. The door opened just in time for them to get in before a huge chunk of chrystaline stone fell between the two groups.

Ed laughed out loud as the Romulan soldiers pointed their guns on Earl, Juliana and Data just about to climb over the pile of rocks "You see? That's a sign of heaven! You stay and keep our little secret 10000 meter deep! Au revoir, madam, monsieur... and you too, machine!"

"You bastard..." Earl growled. The three of them stood there helplessly staring at the closing door from behind the pile of rocks.

Emma was released by the soldiers who ran to the panel to push the buttons on the control panel. She looked at Sela and Edmond, but they were both staring outside the door as it slowly started to come down to close - enjoying their pathetic victory. Nobody was paying attention to her. Here was her chance! She lunged from where she was standing next to Ed and pushed herself through the narrow crack of the metal door. She just heard the satisfying sound of Ed screaming "No!" from inside. She snorted. Not everything goes the way YOU plan it. Chérie.

"Open it!" Ed shouted to the Romulans, but no matter what the soldiers pushed, it didn't work anymore. The elevator was rushing up seemingly at an unstoppable speed.

"There's a safety system in function, Commander." one of the soldiers explained "We cannot go down during tectonic activity, only upwards!"

Ed rushed to the panel and frantically pushed the buttons in vain. Then ran back to Sela "You have to do something! You have to get her out of there!"

But Sela just laughed "You, humans... I cannot have any less respect for you, you vermin... You're worried for your little concubine? Why aren't you rather worried that we'll lose four months of income, while we'd need to rebuild the whole system?! Ha?!" she shouted "And on top of that all! I lost the android too! So stop this pathetic whining, human!"

Ed only could hit the wall in his impotent anger.

* * *

"Climb over!" Earl commanded seeing Emma jumping out of the elevator. She landed on the other side of the pile of stones which kept growing with the ceiling coming down. She started to climb over to them on all fours trying to duck from the falling rocks.

Data could see that she needed help, but knew that her mother and Earl could do little to assist "Take cover!" he told them and climbed towards Emma as they obeyed him and hid underneath one of the large consoles.

Emma lost her footing the third time before reaching the top of the pile - she felt her muscles couldn't take any more of the sudden load - but rocks were falling all around her so the adrenalin of fear kept her going. And not just that...

"Here I am!" Data declared as he finally managed to take her hand. She looked up at him kneeling on the rocks and couldn't help herself: she smiled. Here they were at death's door, and her Deadpan reached out to her and held her hand - and she knew he would not let go for his life.

But no more time remained. One last wave of shaking rippled through the chamber walls and broke another chunk of chrystaline material from the ceiling. Having lost a good deal of his processing capacity, Data could not react in time to pull Emma away. The heavy rocks buried her fragile body underneath them with a deafening rumble, and she disappeared without a single scream.

With the last of the quake's noise dying down, nothing remained, only silence. Nothing moved anymore. It seemed it was the last blast of fury of the dissected mountains above them. Data stared at their grip for a long moment - the only visible part of Emma's body was her hand still in his. Then slowly her grip loosened, and he felt her hand letting his go.


	34. Chapter 34

Six hours after being captured by the police, Picard was dragged into a dark cell and pushed to the floor:

"We're not finished, traitor! Remember that!" one of his jailers spat, and the heavy door slammed in after them.

"You, animals!" he shouted defiantly and lunged to the door. He hit it with his fist, and the metal gave an unyielding thump "You won't get away with this! You'll be held accountable! The Federation will make you pay! Starfleet will make you pay!" he shouted in his impotent anger. Then with a final thump he slumped to the floor panting.

He'd been tortured a few times in his life, so it could be said that he was practised. The physical pain was almost nothing compared to what he endured in the Cardassian torture chamber. But to watch them hurting Beverly... Nothing could be worse! Nothing! He had no idea where they'd taken her after beating her up in front of his very eyes, and he feared the worst. And knew that there was even worse than the worst...

Then suddenly, he heard it. It was faint, but it was there at the far corner of the cell. A silent weeping of a frightened lady...

"Jean-Luc..." he heard her whisper, and despite the pain in his side and leg, he got up and rushed to her as if the devil was pursuing him.

"Beverly!" he knelt beside her where she was crouching in the corner "Beverly, where are you hurt? Tell me, what have they done to you?" he told her taking her by the shoulder and leaned close to her to see her face.

She sniffled "It's alright." she wiped her face "I'll live..." she stifled a small sob "They just... hit me a few times... It's just... I've never been tortured... I've never seen... people who enjoyed the suffering of others..." another sob came which she couldn't hide, and she buried her face in her palms. Picard felt a measure of relief hearing this, but she went on before he could reply "And they hurt you too... I wished I could tell them to hurt me instead of you, but I was just so afraid..." she sobbed again, and he took her into his arms on impulse.

She was talking nonsense, of course. It was because of the mental impact of such an ordeal, but he was moved by her words. It somehow gave him back the hope that she still held him precious in her heart.

"Hush, Beverly!" he told her on a low voice "Just try to calm down. We're safe for now."

She pulled away a little and looked at him confused "Why did they leave us alone? Why did they put us into the same cell?" she asked alarmed.

He frowned considering then turned his head around as a thought struck him "I'd say, they're watching us. They think we'll leak information inadvertently."

"But what do they want?" she asked on a breaking voice.

He stared at her surprised "They asked nothing from you?"

She shook her head. "They just... brought me into the room you were in, then... you saw the rest. After that, they just left me here." she sniffled once again and wiped her face.

He took a moment to think about this "From what we know, they consider women inferior. Maybe they think that the information they want can come only from me." at Beverly's questioning gaze, he went on "They think we're part of the Resistance. They want to know the hide-out of the leader."

"What did you tell them?" she asked honestly curious. Her voice now seemed stronger, and the Captain finally let her go.

"The truth, of course." he stood up and started to pace the cell "I told them we were Starfleet officers from the ship in orbit." when he reached the patch of light that was coming in through the tiny window three meters above them, he turned to her and spread his arms "They laughed into my face. For eight years, there was no ship in orbit around Epsilon Four. They've been told, Starfleet was banned from the planet - except for the mad wife of the now ruling Premier." he added with a wry smile then shrugged "They're convinced we're part of the Resistance. And as such, we have to know where the leader is."

"What happened to that boy? Have you seen him since we've been captured?"

"No." he bowed his head "I don't suppose children are considered more highly than woman in this masculine society."

She sighed and shook her head after a long moment of silence "How are we ever gonna get out of here?" it sounded more like a theoretical question.

"Riker or the Admiral will get us out, of course." he answered with a belief, she wished she could share "I'd estimate it's already morning. We haven't reported to the Admiral for a few hours, I'm sure he already had the Enterprise looking for us."

"Of course..." she whispered, and Picard turned to her raising an eyebrow. She sounded rather doubtful compared to his liking.

"Why wouldn't they, Beverly?" he asked with an edge of impatience in his voice. What was the point in depressing herself with these negative thoughts?

"Jean-Luc..." she breathed and pushed herself up into a standing position with a grunt of pain. She then crossed to where he was standing in the small patch of light "Jones swore his life on the fact that the tortures stopped on his planet when he took over the Premiereship. Do you really think he'd admit to the fact that two Starfleet officers have been tortured during the negotiations with the Federation? He'd rather bury us alive!"

They locked gazes, and a long moment passed before Picard frowned "I refuse to give up hope! And I forbid you to give up hope either, Beverly! The most important thing during any confinement is to think positively..."

"...and not to give up hope..." she finished having heard the end of this sentence already once in her life.

"Right." he nodded surprised but studying her expression his heart sank. She gazed at him so listless. She really felt hopeless, he realized. He let out a long breath and gently put his hands on her upper arms "Beverly. Do you really think that Will, Deanna or Data would give up on us just like that? Just because Jones tells them so? Or your hot-headed friend. He knows Jones the best from among all of us. Do you think she'd believe him?"

She reluctantly shook her head. He did manage to light a candle in the night around her!

He gave a gently squeeze to her arms "They'll think of something."

They locked gazes again, and this time he let himself be lost in her beautiful eyes. He raised his hand and gently wiped a stray tear still lingering on her cheek with his thumb. She instinctively closed her eyes enjoying his tender touch. She was exquisite! Her hair was dishevelled, her clothes torn, her face tear-streaked and her eyes still had unshed tears in them, and yet... she was the most exquisite creature in the universe! Picard felt an overwhelming need to tell her the truth finally, to tell her how much she meant to him! And it took him all his strength to fight it off, because the need was more urging than ever before!

But here they were captive on a hostile planet, hurt and locked up in a dark cell without food or drink. And even if they actually got out of here, someone was waiting for her on the Enterprise. Because he did know about her special friend. No, this was all wrong...

He was about to clear his throat and excuse himself, when she opened her eyes and without any further ado, pressed herself firmly to him and kissed him on the lips.

He was so surprised, it took him a very long moment to close his eyes. He squeezed her arms to make her break away, but somehow the kiss deepened, and his hands slid down her back to her slender waist as she locked her arms around his neck. What ARE we doing?! he asked himself as he tilted his head to claim her mouth again after a moment's break. She held his head to her firmly, and their tongues fought a war, each too curious to explore the other's mouth to let the other fully in. Their breathing became ragged, and she moaned as he pressed her back to the wall with his body.

She ran her hand down his chest and pulled out his shirt from inside his pants. He dug his fingers into her hair while sliding his other hand to her thigh and pulling her leg up his own still claiming her mouth with his lips and tongue. This is impossible! We cannot do this! WE CANNOT! He suddenly broke away from her mouth and stared into her eyes trying hard to get a grip.

"I-I'm... sorry, I..." he mumbled and felt her hot breath on his lips still moist from their kisses. He pulled a little away to at least try to put some distance between the two of them "We're both very exhausted and ...and the situation's desperate, I admit..." he shook his head a little "I'm sorry..." he told her and finally let her go.

She still breathed heavily as she watched him disappear in the darkness. Almost as if he was ashamed. And somehow it boiled her blood! "Exhausted, you say, the situation is desperate." she repeated after him on a hard voice and saw in the dim light that he turned toward her, though she could not see his face as she went on "I did NOT kiss you because I'm fatigued or because I'm desperate. I did NOT kiss you for comfort either, Jean-Luc!" she spread her arms and finally, told him plainly "I kissed you because I love you."

He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He couldn't even breath. He felt completely immobilized by her simple confession, and she didn't seem to be through.

"We've been doing this cat and mouse game for over ten years! And I'm tired of it! I want to say it out loud. I want to have the right to feel that way! Jean-Luc. Life is so short!" she told him on a begging voice "How long do you want to pretend? We're here... and whatever you say..." she raised her shoulders with a bitter expression on her face "You can never be sure that we ever get out alive. What can we lose, just tell me Jean-Luc!"

He tried to get a hold on the last fragments of his rationality "Beverly! Think of reality! Please! You... you have a boyfriend waiting for you on the Enterprise. And we're superior and subordinate. And-and we're friends! It'd confuse everything..."

She stepped up to him and stared into his eyes "These are just excuses!" she cut him off searching his gaze. He glanced away, and closing the distance, she cupped his cheek in her palm firmly to turn his face to her again "What are you so afraid of, Jean-Luc?" she asked with such a determination in her eyes - but on such a soft voice that he felt his insides melted.

"I'm not..." he told her but could only manage to get out a whisper with her body pressed so close to his again.

"Just tell me the truth! Just once in this life-time!" she implored "Please!" she whispered as they locked gazes again.

A heartbeat passed. And another. And he just couldn't deny her anything! "You." he uttered finally on a low voice.

"Wha..."

"Last time... last time, when we talked about our feelings... you were the one who told me... we should rather be afraid of our feelings."

"That was years ago!"

"So what changed?!" he asked and this time let her see the desperation behind his words "We're in the exact same situation we were then. What made you revise your opinion? What reassured you? How can I make sure that you don't reconsider again, and simply turn your back and walk out my door? How, Beverly?"

"You cannot..." she uttered on a breaking voice, and her tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks as she bowed her head. She stifled and looked back up at him - his features were hard as stone, and she knew he did his very best to conceal his emotions. "Jean-Luc... Life is about taking risks..." she told him on a low voice "I cannot give you any guaranties as you cannot give me any in return either! But that must NOT mean that we have to live out our lives unhappy and full of regrets! I'm tired of pretending... and tired of being unhappy and full of regrets... Are you not?"

"Beverly..."

But there was no time for him to give her an answer. The lock on the metal door clanked and several guards filed in through the entrance.

One of them clapped with a disgusting grin on his face that was visible even in the dark. Picard stepped in front of Beverly protectively as the guard snorted "Nice little show, traitors, though I was hoping for something more juicy. But you traitors, never fail to disappoint. Hmph... Never mind. We'll compensate for that ourselves. Take them out." he ordered, and as the guards walked up to the two prisoners leisurely, Picard silently made an oath: he rather would die in this very cell, but as long as he had a single breath in his body, he'd not let them touch Beverly! With that, he punched the nearest guard as hard as he could!


	35. Chapter 35

Fear in its purest form gripped Data's neural net, seeing his lover buried under what he measured at least a hundred metric kilogramms of chrystaline stone. He just stared at her hand - it was not holding on to his anymore. It lay there in his... lifeless. And he couldn't move. He couldn't think. He couldn't even breath. His monitoring systems screamed inside his positronic brain that his emotion-chip was dangerously close to overloading again, and it left him virtually paralysed.

Then he became aware of a distant voice and felt himself taken by the shoulder. He saw Earl's face almost as if he was looking into some distorted mirror that aged his characteristic features. He realized that the old man's mouth was moving. He was talking... no, shouting at him. Then suddenly let him go, and as he slowly managed to turn his head sideways, he saw that he started to roll the stones off of Emma's body. It's a pointless effort, he thought, from somebody as weak as Earl to try and lift this weight.

Then he saw his mother's worried expression. She seemed scared but at least unhurt. And she seemed so anxious for him as she took his hands in hers. He only felt her taking his left hand, but as she tightened her reassuring grip, it lessened his overwhelming fear. This simple gesture of care from his mother freed up enough resources for him to be able to find a free processing thread, and with the help of it, he managed to prioritize the rest of his processes. Finally, he took a sharp breath for the first time in little over a minute.

"That's it, just breath." Juliana stroked his shoulder lovingly. He bowed his head as the world around him started to move again, and he could hear again, and feel sensations again - and think again.

"Instead of breathing, he could come and help me over here!" they heard Earl's impatient voice, where he was trying to lift a huge stone, and Data leapt to him from where he was crouching next to his mother. He wordlessly rolled away huge stones, while Earl and Juliana carried away the smaller ones. The temperature started to rise, they all realized, as Data was prompted by his sensors, and Earl and Juliana began to sweat.

"The life-support systems are failing." Juliana explained putting away a smaller rock.

"How much time do we have left here?" Earl asked and grunted as he lifted a stone well over his abilities.

"I have to check the consoles... or whatever remained of them." she nodded toward the machinery at the side of the chamber. Most of the instruments were crumpled or had holes in them "But if the temperature is rising at such a rate, I would say not more than an hour before we boil in our own sweat." she told them on a grave voice.

"First things first." Earl told her as he lifted the last stone with the help of Data off of Emma.

They all crouched around her. She seemed unconscious, but they could see no blood or any sign of injury which gave them an unexpected sense of hope. Earl took out the tricorder from his pocket and handed it over to Data. The instrument chirped as it read her life signs:

"Her heart beat is weak, but it's there..." Data told them on a soft voice reading the values "Her breathing is also very weak, her oxygen saturation is 75... and dropping."

"How bad is it?" Earl asked impatiently.

The tricorder gave a final chirping sound, and an anxious expression appeared on Data's face reading the results "Bad. Her hip bone is broken at two places... she has severe internal bleeding. And this is not a medical tricorder, the readings might be inaccurate to some degree."

A moment of deadly silence descended on them before Earl spoke up on a hoarse voice "We've gotta get her out of here."

Data looked around. It went without question that they needed to get her and themselves out of that hell-hole. The real question was: how? "The only viable option seems to be the elevator." he told them on a silent voice. They looked over to where the elevator used to be, and their hearts sank in union: its door was buried under a huge pile of rocks. And they couldn't be sure that the controls were still working underneath. Nonetheless, they had no other choice.

He gave the tricorder to his mother "We have to get to the elevator, there's no other option. At this depth, I cannot contact the Enterprise, and even if it was possible, they cannot beam us out..." he looked into her eyes deeply "Take care of her." he told her on a soft voice, then leapt to his feet. He jumped down the pile of rocks they've been crouching on to climb on top of the neighbouring 'hill', which was blocking the elevator door. He started to roll the rocks down, and after a moment of hesitation, Earl put a hand on Juliana's arm "I'll help him, he'll never manage one-handed. You'll be fine, my dear?"

She nodded "Don't worry."

He looked down at Emma and cupped her cheek lovingly "Hold on, little bird!" he whispered and letting her go, he joined Data at the elevator.

* * *

 _She was hurting so much. It hurt so much... More than the first time. More than the second time. It took all her strength to open her eyes again to the light that was almost as painful as the pain in her womb. The first face she saw was Edmond's. He held her hand relentlessly. As he did the first time. Then again at the second time. And now. It used to give her comfort, but now... it just felt hallow. She turned her head toward the wall, away from him. Nothing was different: the hospital walls, the bed, the white sheets, Edmond's utmost worry - and the pain..._

 _"Ma chérie." she heard his soft voice and felt him cuddle to her face. She let him kiss her on the cheek, then on the neck, she acknowledged his overwhelming attraction to her - but felt nothing of it... "I'm so sorry, chérie." he told her "The next time... the next time, we surely manage!" he whispered into her ear, then planted a soft kiss on her earlobe too._

 _She slowly turned back to him and looked at him taken aback "You want to try again?" she asked on a hushed, shocked voice._

 _"Of course." he replied turning his palm up "You do want a child too, don't you, ma chérie."_

 _She glared at him for a moment longer, then gathered all the strength she could and raised herself into a sitting position - all her insides burned with pain._

 _"I DO want a child! But I cannot go through another miscarriage again, Edmond! How many times do you want to risk my life?! And how many children would you want to sacrifice?" she asked with a sudden overwhelming desperation._

 _"What are you talking about? Epsilon Four has excellent doctors! It's just a week of rest, that's all that it takes, the doctor already told me, so please... don't exaggerate, chérie!" he spread his arms with almost a nonchalant expression._

 _"We have doctors, Edmond, but they have only the means of the 21st century!" she tried once again to convince him - knowing full well how futile it would be._

 _He jumped up from beside her impatiently and started to pace the room. After a moment, he swirled around and looked daggers at her "What more do you need?! Other women get pregnant and give birth without any problem on the colony. It's only YOU who's so picky that she cannot do without the means of alien technology." his voice was demanding and hard._

 _"How can you be so blinded by bigotry?! How?!" she shouted losing all her self-control "Why don't you see that 24th century technology could tell us what the problem is, and we might fix it too!"_

 _"There's no guarantee for that, ma chérie! And even if there was, we're not risking my career by using illegal means to find out what's wrong with YOU! Or do you want to go to prison?"_

 _"How do you know it's me? Ha? How can you be so sure?" she demanded desperately "What if something is wrong with you as well? Maybe something in your genes renders the baby unfit for life, and that's the reason I'm losing them. Or the combination of the genes of the two of us. Who knows until we checked? But you don't even want to use the available examinations to at least attempt to find out more before putting me through another ordeal!"_

 _"Oh, of course! Once again, we're at this!" he took the few steps separating them and put a hard finger onto her forehead "Try to remember this, ma chérie, cause I won't tell you any more times! It's YOUR damn body that's rejecting pregnancy, which is the most natural of all things! It's YOUR damn body that's incapable to bear a child! The problem is with YOU! Not with me! Have you never thought about it, that it's simply because you'd be an incapable mother? Hmm, chérie? Maybe no child wants to be born of you!" he spat and swirled to go for the door._

 _"Edmond..." she buried her face in her palms._

 _He turned back and looked at her with a patronizing expression "Yes, just keep on crying. But your tears cannot wash away the truth! You're unfit to be a mother. You're unfit even to be alive."_

* * *

"...Edmond..." Emma breathed as her head turned to the side.

"Don't speak, my darling, just lie still." she heard a familiar female voice, but she just couldn't recognize it.

Where was she? What's happened? She surely couldn't be in that hospital... Yes, that was only a dream... But... The pain! Oh, my god, the pain remained and reached almost unbearable levels! What was this?!

A low wailing sound emerged from her throat, and as she managed to open her eyes, she saw that Juliana hurriedly put a hypo to her neck - and the pain became tolerable.

"What... what's happened..." she asked, and had no strength for more than a whisper.

"The chamber crumpled on top of us... a part of it on you. You've lost some blood, but don't worry, we'll get you out." Juliana told her trying to sound as reassuring as she could.

Emma looked into her eyes for a long moment. She studied the elder woman's features. She was exquisite, even in these clothes and dishevelled as she was. And she was so caring. Almost like Beverly. Bev... I hope everything is okay with you, girl... she thought, then another thought seemed to struck her. How bad was it? Was it just a scratch, or something more serious? Was she still bleeding? She couldn't feel anything but the pain in her pelvic area. Should she simply think of a nice recreational facility where she could recover after this? Or of a nice hill where her grave would look good? Should she think about saying her goodbyes?

Juliana went on to scan her life signs, and Emma watched her, then finally decided to take back her control "Show it to me..." she asked on a lot lower voice than she intended.

"I don't think..."

"Juliana... please... Just show it to me..." she managed to get out with some difficulty. It hurt to talk.

Juliana conceded and turned the instrument to her. After some focusing and blinking, Emma managed to get a few values off the screen. "Shit..." was all she had to say afterwards closing her eyes.

"We'll get you to the Enterprise, and you'll be fine." Juliana told her taking her hand gently in hers.

"No..." Emma whispered and tried to focus on the elder woman's features again. She pulled Juliana to herself, who leaned closer to hear her better. Emma swallowed and tried to explain "You see the... small red number on the tricorder. It says 600. That's the amount of blood I lost so far..." she took a deep breath and fought off a wave of pain, steadily growing worse "I'm... I'm allergic to synthetic blood. All kinds... Very rare... Don't want to explain..." her body tensed up, and she tried to catch her breath. It was a miracle she was not in shock - probably the hypo Juliana'd been injecting into her was the only thing that kept her from it.

Juliana tightened her grip on her hand "It's okay, you don't have to explain anything. Just lie still. I'm sure we can find a donor for you on the ship." she told her with real belief on her features and swept the wet hair out of her forehead. Emma took another deep breath to try to go on, but Juliana could see that she barely had any strength left "Sshh, hush, my dear. Just breath. And if it starts to hurt again, we still have one more dose of painkiller."

Emma didn't have the strength to tell her that it AGAIN hurt like HELL, let alone the fact that she was wrong about finding a donor. Her blood was rare. Really rare. And though, she did have two units of blood on the ship (donated by herself earlier), she had already bled that much and based on her injuries seen on the tricorder read-out, she'd have to be operated on. That two units of blood would not be enough at all.

* * *

Data and Earl wordlessly rolled stones after stones out of the way, getting closer and closer to the elevator door. Still minutes crawled on like years, and Data became more and more frustrated by the fact that with his right arm paralysed, he was half as effective as he could have been with two hands. And poor Earl was barely of any help compared to the strength of an android. He suddenly glanced toward his mother.

"Don't worry about her just now. We don't have time for that. Just move." he heard Earl's voice. Data had to admit he was right. He rolled an enormous stone away and finally glimpsed the top of the elevator door.

"Here it is!" he declared.

Earl just nodded in acknowledgement. He had to admit, he barely held on by a thin thread. He was not used to such physical ordeal: the skin of his hands were torn and bleeding, his joints were cracking, and his muscles barely could keep him on his feet. Still he was rolling and lifting stones without a pause now for over an hour. He was sure that he wouldn't stand a chance to help Data, if it wasn't for the shot of Complex-C that Emma had given him the previous night. Thank god for her stubborn hard head!

Suddenly, they heard a chirping sound, and they stopped in their movements startled. Then it down on them: the tricorder!

"Emma!" they uttered in union staring at each other scared for a brief moment before jumping up.

They rushed to the women and crouching next to them saw that Emma lay there trembling with her eyes closed.

Data took the tricorder from his mother "She's gone into shock. She's lost too much blood! It's over 800!"

Emma hearing his voice opened her eyes. There he was leaning above her, taking her hand in his and locking his beautiful gaze with hers. He seemed so worried... I'm sorry, Deadpan, I'm so sorry! she wanted to say, but just couldn't utter the words. It just hurt so much she could only pant. She stared into his eyes and did everything not to lose focus on his face. She imagined that she tightened her grip on his hand. I love you! I love you so much! she wanted to say and suddenly felt panic spreading around in her hurting body "I was so stupid..." she uttered on a barely audible groan, fighting for ever breath... I was stupid that I wasn't able to say it to your face! she finished in her head. I don't wanna go! Please, stay with me my sweet... she moaned again not being able to fight of the wave of pain that seemed to try to flood her whole being.

"Em, listen, you have to hold on, alright?" Data told her staring into her eyes with a determination only he could have displayed "I'll get you out, and you'll be fine! Do you understand! You'll be fine! Just hold on a little longer!"

Suddenly, tears formed in her eyes and seeing them, Data felt his own eyes filling. She was shaking from the effort as she opened her mouth to get the words out "...don't wanna... die..." she mumbled then her breathing became laboured "...wanna be with you..."

Data felt his tears rolling down his cheeks "Baby... You won't! I won't let you!" he swore.

But the next moment, her eyes closed no matter how hard she fought against the darkness that was slowly but steadily engulfing her. She couldn't see him anymore, his voice grew faint, and finally no more thought remained... In her mind's eye she saw herself kissing her love for the last time to say goodbye and then there was nothing...

... and the tricorder suddenly started chirping madly. "Em! Emma! Open your eyes, you hear me?!" Data ordered cupping her cheek firmly in his palm. "Do you hear me?! Open your eyes!... Please!" he was begging now, but his ultra-sensitive fingertips that could feel the familiar rhythm of her heart beat every time he'd touched her skin... they could not feel that rhythm anymore. "Em..." he breathed and stared at her unmoving form with dread in his eyes, then heard his mother stifle a sob. He turned to her and saw Earl pulling her close - he was crying too.

"No!" he uttered in a sob. Because it couldn't be! It just couldn't happen! He turned back to Emma's lifeless body and gathering all his remaining strength he steeled himself "No. It's not over." he declared on a hard voice, and leaning above her chest, he started the most basic first-aid technique: pressed her chest with his palm forcefully.

Juliana looked at him with some unreal hope in her eyes "Do you think it could work with the amount of blood..." but he cut her off.

"Mr. Mils. Please take it over from me! Doing this one handed is not as effective as it should be." Earl nodded and obeyed without a question as Data added "Check her pulse every thirty seconds, and if it's back, you can stop!" he then turned to his mother "Mother." he looked deep into her eyes, and she could see that there was an unbreakable determination - the same determination Noonian looked at her with, when they had to escape an invincible enemy on Omicron Theta. It was shocking how similar they were.

Ever since they started to move the rocks with Earl, Data had been considering the option he wanted to avoid most throughout the time he'd been knowing his mother. But here and now... he had no choice any more "Please, mother. You have to help me moving these rocks."

Juliana stared at him with shock and confusion on her features "What?" she shook her head "Data, I'd gladly do anything, but..."

"Mother!" he took her hand and gave it firm squeeze "I don't have time to explain or to tell you this gently or to give you time to understand or to help you adjust to the thought. I just ask you to believe me when I say... you and I have the same capabilities. You have the same strength, the same mental abilities that I have. You and I... are no mother and son. We are sister and brother."

"No!" Juliana took her hand away "What are you saying? What are you saying?! This is impossible! I'm an old lady above 70! I'm your mother! I helped your father create you. I..."

"You're a Soong-type android, just as I am. Only better than I am!"

"No! No, this is impossible! I don't want to hear any more of this!" she started to get up to get as far away from him as she could. But he reached out to her before she could escape.

"Stop it!" he took her by the arm firmly, and pulling her back down next to him, he stared into her eyes so full of dread and disbelief. "Mother... I'm begging you..." he whispered "...begging you..."

And as they locked gazes, she could see in his eyes that whatever he'd just said was the naked truth. And she also could see the desperation it took him to tell her that truth, to stop protecting her from it... Her eyes filled with tears "Oh, Noonian..." she moaned hanging her head as utter desperation overwhelmed her. She sobbed for a long moment before Data held her close.

After a few moments of agony, laying her head on her son's shoulder, she glanced over to where Emma was still lying. Earl was still pressing her chest, doing as Data had told him. He only had eyes for the younger woman. She then pulled away and looked at Data with a tormented expression. Then finally, reluctantly nodded.

They got up and rushed back to the elevator door. Data started to roll the stones, but Juliana stood there still unsure.

"Data..." she said on a small voice. He looked at her questioningly, and she went on "I do want to help you. Believe me, I do. But... I've never lifted hundred-kilogram rocks ever in my life. How..."

"Your human boundaries are rooted in your belief that you're a human. You do have the ability to lift these stones. However, why would an elderly human lady even venture to try something like that? Nonetheless, you ARE able to do it. Mother."

She nodded and reluctantly wrapped her arms around a huge stone. She still did not believe it when she actually lifted it. It did seem heavy! Very heavy! So Noonian managed to somehow bridge the gap between digital data and human sensations. He somehow managed to translate weight into the sensation that something was heavy. He finally achieved what they were working for. Because she could feel and sense! Better than Lore and certainly better than Data - just the way a human does. Or so she remembered... Just stop thinking and move! she shouted to herself.

It didn't take five minutes for them to clear up the entrance. Data tried the console, but there was no noise of the elevator coming down, so they opened the maintenance box underneath and started to examine its contents. The tension was palpable as every passing second took away another fragment of chance from saving Emma's life.

"Some of the connections got severed here and there." Juliana pointed to the two top corners of the box, where the optical wires seemed to be torn. No wonder it had some wear and tear, it was under hundreds of kilograms of rocks. Data examined it more closely and tried to fix the connections.

"I need a phaser. I dropped mine, ask Mr. Mils. Please." he told her on a commanding voice and Juliana rushed to Earl who was still pushing Emma's chest rhythmically.

"It's in my jacket pocket, there!" Earl answered to her inquiry out of breath and nodded toward his jacket on the other side of Emma. Juliana fetched it out and tried her best to use her newly found android speed to get back to her son. Son? ...oh, god...

"Here." she held it up to Data, who wordlessly took it and started to tinker around in the box.

"How's she?" he asked after a moment's time.

"The same." she replied on a silent voice.

And suddenly as another wave of anguish flooded his neural net, his self-restrain burst "I can't believe I cannot fix this!" he snapped and suddenly tore up the service door on his lifeless, skinless arm.

"What are you doing?!" Juliana asked shocked seeing the stunt. She was not used to watching her son dissecting himself - and the thought that if it was required of her, she could have done the same... was frightening to say the least.

"Bridging the fused parts with one of my servos. I cannot make use of them right now anyway! Please, hold it here." he asked her, and as she obeyed, he soldered the servo into its new place with the phaser.

When they were finished, he pushed a few buttons, and they both exhaled a long breath hearing the elevator descending.

"You made it!" Juliana smiled.

Data glanced at her, and the corner of his lips twitched upwards, the expression was meant to be a tiny smile - and failed. He then rushed over to where Emma and Earl were with Juliana in toe.

Earl was about to lift Emma, but seeing how exhausted he looked, Juliana offered "Let me carry her!"

Earl couldn't even utter a word, just nodded. Sweat was sheeting down his face, and he could barely catch his breath. He wiped his forehead as they went to the elevator, but he could barely stand on his two feet. Data pushed the button on the console, and the door closed with a slam. Then he pushed another button meaning to bring them up, but the elevator remained motionless.

"No..." he breathed looking at the others with dread in his eyes. This was just impossible! He pushed the buttons again, but again, nothing happened.

"What's going on?" Earl snapped now in panic.

"I do not know!" Data replied "It's as if the elevator cab had no power supplied to it."

Juliana exhaled a long breath "Ah, of course... a safety measure. It can only be bypassed from upstairs. The whole shaft is cut off from the system. It powers up only if the buttons are pressed upstairs. The lift is designed to go only upwards during seismic activity, and then all power supplies are cut off. You bypassed it with your servo in the console box, that's why you could call it down. But that doesn't mean that we have power in here."

"So bypass it again!" Earl commanded impatiently.

"It cannot be done from the shaft or the cab. Only upstairs. We have to figure something else out!" Juliana answered, she looked at the lifeless body in her arms "And make it quick."

Data glanced around suddenly completely out of ideas which only fuelled his frustration. He then looked up at the ceiling and saw the maintenance door there. Without further ado, he took out his phaser and cut the lock in half. He jumped up, and pushed the lid outside, opening the small square shaped door.

"Mother, quick! Help me up there!"

"What are you planning?"

"We'll have to pull ourselves out of here." Data told her simply. They looked at him gaping to which he impatiently snapped at them "Hurry already!"

Juliana shook her head "Data. Think about it for a moment! The shaft of such an elevator is divided into cells of different pressure zones. If the shaft has no power, the zones are not functioning either. We'll all get decompression sickness by the time we get out from ten thousand meters deep!" she then suddenly realized what she had uttered and added on a lower voice "I mean... maybe the two of us wouldn't. But Earl and Emma surely would."

It was Earl who spoke up finally "Decompression sickness can be treated, Juliana. ...Death cannot... and we're running out of time." his gaze dropped to Emma's ash-gray face, and he shut his eyes.

Juliana conceded and gently placed the younger woman's body into Earl's arms.

"Go on with the chest compression." Data commanded, and Earl put Emma's body on the floor, and started all over again.

Juliana then helped Data up on top of the elevator cab, he cut the duranium wire on top of it with his phaser, and then gave the loose end a hard pull. The cab made a small jerk. The next moment, he found Juliana right next to him, and when they tried together, the cab ascended a little.

"That's it." he nodded. She held onto the wire to hold the cab in place, while he jumped back into it, then she followed him when he held onto the loose end again from inside.

This time she took command "I'll pull, and you keep hold of it, when I have to reach over and find another grip on it again."

Data didn't argue, and after a minute of rhythmical pulling and holding, they quickened the pace. Finally, Earl gaped as their motions became so fast that it was impossible to follow with the human eye.

They were out in ten minutes.

The upper chambers were empty, and it could be seen that the quake took its toll in these areas as well. Juliana carried Emma, and Earl helped her climb over the various obstacles, while Data kept calling the Enterprise.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Data from Epsilon Four requesting an emergency beam-out. Do you copy, Enterprise?"

And finally, after the third try, following some static noise, they heard the voice of Commander Riker "This is the Enterp..., Data, we read..."

"Commander! Can you lock on to us? We are a group of four underneath the Ridgeback Mountains to the north of Ethel city. We are about 1500 meters deep."

"Please, repeat, ...mander, the trans... breaking up!" Riker's voice was intermixed with static noise, and Data tried again.

"We're requesting an emergency beam-out directly to Sickbay! Commander! Do you read me?!" his voice was becoming more and more stressed with the frustration of not getting through.

There was some more static, and a full minute passed by before they heard Riker's voice again. This time, loud and clear: "We've adjusted our frequencies, Data. Is the transmission better now?"

"Yes! A lot better! Commander, we're requesting..." Data started to repeat his emergency call again, but Riker cut him off.

"We're attempting to get a lock on you as we speak. Please confirm, you are a group of four, and you need to be beamed directly to Sickbay."

"That is correct!" Data confirmed. Though Riker was silent for a few moments, they could hear from the background noise, that the Bridge crew was working hard to get them out of there. Then Riker spoke up again.

"We are having difficulties locking on to you. Apparently, the stones and minerals of the mountains you're underneath are blocking the scanners. Can you get closer to the surface, Data?"

"Negative, Commander! We're moving as we speak, but our progress is slow." he glanced over to his mother carrying Emma and went on on a shaken voice "The injuries of one of us are life-threatening, and she needs medical attention NOW!"

"Understood. Stand-by, we're doing all we can." Riker replied - he had a good hunch who was hurt, if Data's voice was as upset as it sounded.

It took the Enterprise Bridge crew three more minutes to figure out how to compensate for the reflecting effect of the minerals, and when Riker announced "Stand by for beam-out." the profound relief and joy the small team felt was indescribable. It was almost unbelievable, when in a moment's time, the Enterprise beamed them safely out of the mines, right into Sickbay.

Doctor Powell was on call, and though he always felt a certain resentment towards Emma, he was shocked to see her on a biobed virtually dead.

"She broke her hip-bone and lost a lot of blood." Data started to explain, but the doctor cut him off seeing the first read-outs of the bed's medscans.

"A lot of blood! Tell me about it! She virtually bled out into her abdomen! What took you so long to get her here?! Broken ribs, broken tibia... burst spleen and on top of all that ultra-high Nitrogen levels in what remained of her blood! Where the hell have you been to contract decompression sickness?! ...Doesn't matter now! Get the hell out of here and let us work! Geny, 13 miligrams of Lectrazine, oh hell..." he growled seeing the new readings of the biobed "She's allergic to synthetic blood..."

"Which type?" one of the assistants asked.

"Basically... she hit the jackpot, to all of them." Powell replied with an edge of frustration in his voice "Unbelievable..."

Nurse Ogawa quickly checked the computer "We have two units of her own blood reserved for emergency cases, Doctor."

"Will do for now. Give me those two units, and check the files of the crew for possible donors. Check the other members of the away-team for decompression sickness! And get Doctor Crusher aboard! Now!"

Data felt himself gently pulled out of Sickbay, but through the windows of the ever closing-opening entrance, he could still see the struggle for Emma's life that the doctors and nurses fought mightily amidst what seemed to be an organized chaos. He could see the readings too. Emma was on full support, she was not breathing on her own, her heart was not beating on its own. Was he to watch another lover die like this? Was he to watch it this time being fully capable of feeling the emotions it awoke? How selfish these thoughts seemed to be! But he had no strength to reprimand himself for it. He felt yet again paralysed. He could only stare ahead till the people inside pushed Emma's bed into the operating room, and she disappeared from his view.

He then collapsed with his back against the wall and finally, let his golden tears roll down his dirty cheeks.

* * *

 **Feedback always welcome!**


	36. Chapter 36

"I cannot locate the combadges of either Doctor Crusher or Captain Picard." the young Ensign Joffrey declared from the tactical post with an edge of stress in his voice.

"How can that be?" Deanna looked at Will confused, and the latter stood up to cross to the Ensign.

"Check it again." he ordered as he walked up to where his subordinate was standing at his console. After blinking at the negative results for a moment longer, a thought struck him "Compensate the same way we did when we beamed Data and the others on board. Maybe something is interfering with the scanners."

Deanna looked at him confused "But Data and his team were underground when we beamed them on."

"Maybe they followed Commander Data and his team into the mines." chimed in another very young Lieutenant, Ms. Anderson, from the ops console.

"Confirmed." Joffrey declared "The badges now register on the scanners. But they're not at the mines."

"Can you lock on to them?" Will asked.

After pressing some buttons, the younger man shook his head "Negative, sir. Though the badges are there, the lifesigns of the Captain and the Doctor don't seem to be anywhere around."

"I don't think I like the sound of that at all." Will growled and was about to step back to the Captain's chair when Ensign Joffrey couldn't stop himself any longer.

"Commander!" he called and when Will looked at him, he could see that the young man was clearly very upset "Yesterday, I was on duty in Transporter room 2. Captain Picard contacted me, and asked me to beam them to a certain set of coordinates. He also asked me never to reveal this to anybody, but... seeing how half of the away-team got back to the Enterprise..."

"Give me those coordinates! And get me Commander Data." Riker cut in on his strictest voice and Deanna pushed her combadge.

"Troi to Data..." she began, but she hadn't finished her transmission when the turbolift doors opened.

"I'm here, Counsellor." Data told her silently stepping into the Bridge.

There was a long moment of shocked silence as the Bridge crew took in his appearance: his clothes were torn and burned, his face and hair was dirty, and his right arm hung next to his side, lifeless - with the sooty, raw metal of his endoskeleton clearly visible.

"Data, are you..." Deanna started growing pale at his sight, but he again cut in.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry that my appearance upsets you." he turned his head to Riker "Commander, there is another matter just as important as finding the Captain and Doctor Crusher. There might be a Romulan ship in orbit Epsilon Four."

"What?!" Will gaped.

"Scanning the sector." Lieutenant Anderson declared.

Deanna stepped up to Data "What did happen on the planet?"

Riker joined in "Do you know anything about the Captain?"

Data shook his head faintly "We split up. I do not know where the Captain or the Doctor might be. My team was to investigate the mines of Ridgeback mountains, where we were told by some members of the Resistance that there might be evidence to prove that Premier Jones was using alien technology to mine dilithium. The rumour even ventured, that the alien technology might be Romulan. The Captain judged that Admiral McKinnley would not believe us if we went to him with our hunches based on gosips. So we decided to investigate covertly with Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher providing the cover for the rest of us. They were pretending to look for ...Lieutenant Jones who had gone missing a few hours prior."

"But she was actually with you, and you went down into the mines with virtually no means to protect yourselves from Romulan guns." Will concluded "Neat..." he grimaced wryly.

"We didn't have any other choice."

"Scanning complete, and negative, Commander!" Anderson spoke up from her console.

Data stepped up to her "Try to flood the area with tachyon particles and then look for any inertia displacement that would fit the size of a Romulan ship."

"The old trick?" Will asked with a tight smile walking up to them.

"Long shot, as the vernacular goes. However, as it worked at least once..." Data slightly shrugged with his good shoulder, only looking at the displays.

Deanna walked up to Ensign Joffrey "Scan the whole planet for their lifesigns."

"That could take a considerable amount of time, Counsellor." he told her looking still very worried. And she could feel, that apart from being worried for his colleagues - there was something far more personal in his feelings. She gave him a comforting small smile.

"We have to start somewhere." she told him putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder for a moment "Begin with the coordinates the Captain gave you last night."

Meanwhile, at the ops station, the console chirped, and Anderson looked up at Data excited "There's something at the edge of the sector. Though the readings might be inaccurate because the tachyon field is the weakest there."

"Set course to those coordinates! Full impulse." Will ordered, and Data took up the role of the second officer.

"Shields up, scanners at maximum range." he commanded, and they both went back to the command chairs and sat down.

"Prepare photon torpedoes with warhead yields at energy burst level five!" Will went on with Data's old manoeuvre.

"Aye, sir." Anderson nodded tapping the console, but then frowned confused "Photon torpedoes at level five, sir? It wouldn't even scratch them. Shouldn't we use quantum torpedoes instead?"

"Keep your pants on, Lieutenant, we don't want to start a war. We just want to see where they are." Will told her. In the background, they could hear Deanna talking to the Admiral.

"Torpedoes ready!" Anderson declared.

"Fire!" Will ordered and a brightly shining torpedo appeared on the screen moving away from the Enterprise to the direction of the tachyon displacement. The Bridge crew was watching it in tense silence - except for Deanna who was still on the line with the Admiral.

To their disappointment, the torpedo reached the coordinates and flew past them without hitting anything there. Will and Data both let out a frustrated breath.

"They had a considerable amount of leeway." Data remarked absently on a low voice.

"How much?" Will asked now curious.

"Over thirty minutes, Commander."

Will sighed and noted with some wry sarcasm "Half an hour. They can as well be in Romulan space."

Data looked at him with a sudden irritation "Though I understand that my actions seem haphazard and thoughtless in the light of the amount of time that has passed since we last saw them in the mines, but Sela seemed extremely motivated in retaining her authority over the planet. I was hoping they would stay and try to wait until our presence. ..."

"Alright, alright." Will held up his hands in defence with genuine surprise on his face at Data being so sensitive "I didn't mean to criticise you. We have to take our chances, if it's about the Romulans." he turned his head ahead "Conn, set course back to the planet. Standard orbit."

"Aye, sir, standard orbit."

Deanna then walked up to stand in front of the command chairs, and the two men looked up at her seeing first only her looming shadow. She crossed her arms with a small smile on her face "Now, if the gentlemen has had enough of playing wargames, maybe you're interested in what we've found out."

They looked at each other then stood in union: "You found them?"

She let her arms down "The Admiral said they haven't reported to him in the last six hours. As to why he didn't contact us about it, he did not elaborate, and he had really no idea where they might have gone. But. Digging a bit deeper with Ensign Joffrey, we found that it seems the combadges of Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher is at an underground special facility. And here comes the interesting part: the facility is to confine political prisoners." she looked at Data as she went on "If you've been bargaining with the Resistance in order to get information, what if they were mistaken by the authorities for members of the Resistance, and were taken to this political prison?"

Riker and Data looked at her surprised but appreciatively "The question is, how do we make sure?" Will asked finally.

"I talked to Admiral McKinnley about it, and he suggested a direct approach. He is asking Premier Jones at this moment." Deanna declared and returned Riker's admiring smile with a shy one of her own.

But Data disrupted their positive attitude "If he holds them captive, he'll deny it."

"Why do you think so?" Deanna asked shocked.

Data looked her straight in the eye "He was in the mines. If he gets the opportunity, he'll try to get rid of anyone snooping around his flourishing dilithium business with the Romulans. Just the way he tried to get rid of us too."

* * *

Picard new he would not last long after feeling his own blood dripping into his eyes. He'd been beaten up the third time that night, and even if he wasn't exactly unfamiliar with physical pain or torture for that matter, this would have been too much even if he was only in his thirties. And he definitely felt that he was NOT in his thirties. He was also not sure what might have happened to Beverly. He kept hearing her voice from time to time for a little while when he got on with the guards, but then she was dragged out of the cell, and after that he had no idea what happened to her.

He hit the ground hard and felt, he had no more strength left even to defend himself. He was just about to give in to pain and just wait for losing consciousness when the metal door to the cell opened with a clank, and the blows stopped.

"Premier!" he heard the stunned voice of one of the thugs, and vaguely saw a pair of elegant shoes coming his way - and a pair of lady's shoes followed! His vision then blurred, and he closed his hurting eyes.

"Jean-Luc!" he heard and felt himself turned to his back. He opened his eyes and saw a hand above his face holding a medical scanner.

Then he heard the voice of Premier Jones. It lacked all regret or other emotion when he spoke. "I'm terribly sorry for this misunderstanding, Captain Picard. The responsible people will be taken care of."

He then heard Riker's voice through the comm channel "Riker to Admiral McKinnley."

"We're ready to beam-out, Riker. Go ahead." the Admiral rasped, and at that, Picard saw the energy flow of the transporter beam, and in a moment's time, he found himself in Sickbay.

* * *

"Where is she?" Beverly asked on a tense voice, finally meeting Nurse Ogawa in the preparation area of the operating rooms.

"In operating room C. Doctor Powell is operating on her." Alyssa explained, while Beverly washed her hands, and made preparations to enter.

"You were assisting, right? What's the status?" she asked putting on her operating gown, and the nurse helped her.

"Doctor Powell managed to stop the bleeding and fixed her fractured ribs. But the fractured pelvic bone is a complex matter. And we were not able to find a blood donor on board. Her blood antigenes are extremely rare."

"Don't worry about that." Beverly told her on a low voice and put on a mask "We brought three units of her own blood. I already ordered it into the operating room after a thorough scan, of course."

"How did you..."

"It was preserved for her on the planet below. By her husband." Beverly added on a voice full of contempt, then entered the operating room.

* * *

Data was still sitting in the second-officer's chair on the Bridge an hour after Beverly and Picard were safely beamed aboard. Deanna watched him worried as he stared ahead into nothing with his burned arm hanging at the side of the chair. Riker came back to the Bridge with a grim expression after a status meeting with the Admiral and stepped up to Deanna where she was standing at one of the science consoles to the side.

"Status?"

Deanna turned her head to him and sighed with a small shrug "Nothing is out of the ordinary. The scans still haven't shown any sign of a Romulan ship. Or any other disturbance. What did the Admiral want?"

Will glanced away, and Deanna could sense frustration oozing out of him "Nothing that worth mentioning." he looked back at her again "I have the Bridge."

She nodded in acknowledgement "You have the Bridge."

As Will sat down next to Data, who was still sitting there motionlessly like a sophisticated albeit somewhat battered sculpture, he exchanged glances with Deanna. He had to think of something to get his android friend out of here - and out of this state he was in. He looked at Deanna again:

"Counsellor, you might want to pay a visit at Sickbay and check how the Captain and the other members of the away-team are. All of them returned hurt or in shock, I suppose they could use your support."

"Yes, I was just about to offer, Commander." she nodded with a small smile and looked at Data "Data, could you join me? Your mother probably appreciated your company over mine."

He still did not move - in fact, they weren't exactly sure whether he was breathing or not. Then he uttered on a soft voice "I do not wish to return to Sickbay."

Riker and Deanna exchanged glances again, and she could feel that Will shared her deepening worry for their friend. She sighed and tried on a patient voice:

"Data, running away from pain is not..." she began, but he suddenly looked up at her and cut her off.

"Counsellor. I am not returning to Sickbay. No matter if you try to convince me or not." he told her flatly, and she bowed her head defeated. If only she could feel how he felt! Just once! She could help him so much better! But like this, she was just groping about in the dark.

Riker on the other hand was not that easy to be shrugged off. He turned to Data with a strict expression "Commander, we wanted to do this in the gentle way, but if you're so stubborn, I have no choice but to give you a direct order. Get off the Bridge. Go clean yourself up, get stitched up by Geordi - or Maddox if you trust him enough." he added in a grunt "But I don't want to see you anywhere near this Bridge in the next twelve hours."

Data looked at him with his usual blank expression, and Riker suddenly felt guilty for sending him away so harshly. He added on a soft, caring voice "Listen. You've been through hell. And regardless that you need rest or not, I want you to take your time to recover from the experience." He didn't dare to add a remark about Emma. It might have done more damage than good to send him away on the grounds that anyone having his girlfriend on an operating table had nothing to do on the Bridge.

Data gave him a small nod and stood.

In a minute, he was standing in the turbolift with Deanna. She watched him now really worried. She'd never seen him like this - not even after he was held captive by the Borg and drifted from his friends. He was sad and depressed then. This was different. It was as if life was sucked right out of him, and there was also something else she couldn't put her finger on... but somehow, it made her feel uneasy. She had to try and reach out to him again.

"Data. If you wish to talk to me about anything that has happened on the planet, you know I'm here."

He raised his head and locked his gaze with hers "I know, Counsellor. I am grateful."

She went on on a silent voice "I know how hard it is when someone whom we love is in danger or is sick. Believe me, I've been in this situation too. It IS natural to be afraid of the news which might be good... or bad. But locking yourself up on the Bridge or anywhere else, won't help. Hiding away won't help. I know it from experience. You'll only feel better, if you're near her."

Data took a moment of consideration before answering her. He looked deep into her black eyes and again - something was so strange about him... "Counsellor. My fear of going to Sickbay is of a different nature. I am not afraid to go there and be near Emma. Or hear news about her condition for that matter."

"So then why..."

"Because her husband is there too." he explained, and she gaped. True as it was, they beamed Jones aboard along with the blood he brought, with Beverly, Picard and the Admiral. She frowned still perplexed, and he went on "He is solely responsible for what happened to Emma. And he left us to our certain deaths in the mines amidst a severe tectonic activity which he started with a Romulan disruptor." he paused lowering his gaze "If I meet that man again, I'm afraid, I won't be responsible for my actions. And it scares me to feel that way, Counsellor."

Deanna tried as best as she could to hide her reaction. Among all the things Data had ever said to her, this was one of the most upsetting. And she knew it was so, because she could see in his eyes that it was true.


	37. Chapter 37

Geordi had been working on Data's arm for over an hour before he dared ask anything apart from technical stuff. As his friend stepped over the threshold of Engineering, and he looked into his haunted eyes, it was plain that the android was not in the mood for a chit-chat. So Geordi simply had his friend take off his torn and burned jacket and under-shirt, and set out to examine the damage on his upper body. After an hour, he had a pretty long list of what needed to be repaired.

"This servo got damaged quite badly. I might need to replace it." he spoke up holding the tiny gadget in his hand "But I'd like to save as many of the original parts as possible." Data simply nodded. He sat there silent for most of the time with a blank expression - and Geordi was getting the impression that he should've started with examining his emotion-chip first. He didn't even look at Geordi when he tried to make a conversation, and this made the Chief Engineer's heart sink. He sighed and slouched searching the gaze of his friend. "Data." It took a while for the android to take notice of him, but he waited patiently. When Data turned his head to him, and they locked gazes, Geordi went on on a soft voice "What happened in that mine? How did you end up injured this badly?"

Data turned his head away and stared ahead again "We encountered Romulans. The damage in my arm was done by a Romulan disruptor."

Geordi whistled in grim appreciation "A disruptor... In the light of THAT, kudos to Doctor Soong that you got away with this little. A human would have died in your place instantly." He stood and went to put the damaged servo under a microscope to look at it more closely.

"I'm aware of that fact." Data replied flatly "However, I am not a human."

"Luckily, you aren't." It wasn't Geordi who answered. They both turned in union as the new-comer stepped into the room, and Geordi gaped with a deep frown seeing Doctor Maddox standing there.

"Mr. La Forge. Data." the Doctor gave them a nod of greeting "I heard what happened. I was thinking you might use a hand."

Geordi snorted "That was one lousy pun, if I ever have heard one." he stepped up to Maddox and glared at him challengingly "The task here is to put the pieces together, not to disassemble them. THAT wouldn't hold a lot of pleasure for you, now would it. So thanks for your offer, but we're just fine here."

Before Maddox could reply to the insult, it was Data who spoke up "Geordi." and as his friend turned to him, he looked at him with a slight frown "Three of the main servos in my arm are badly damaged, not to mention the optical cabling connecting them, and two of my subprocessors controlling them. For one person, this is over four hours of work. You also are on duty, so you might be called away any time. I do not wish to sit here idling for hours, keeping you from your work." he turned back in his chair and stared ahead again "It is also very frustrating to be crippled AND to be stared at by my colleagues." he tilted his head back to Geordi again "So please, Geordi. Let him help."

Geordi let out a weary breath - Data was right. But still! This man just made his blood boil! He grimaced bemusedly "Fine." he pointed to the servo he had just been looking at under the microscope. "There's a servo there, waiting only for your attention, Doctor."

In little more than an hour's time, they'd already been soldering the bioplast to Data's endoskeleton. Everything in his right arm was back in its place, functioning the same as before. Geordi stepped to him holding the phase refractor in his hand as Maddox finished the last touches on the raw bioplast on his shoulder.

"Are you planning on returning to Epsilon Four? Do you want to color it into a human skin color?"

Data shook his head "If anyone of us is to return to the planet, it would certainly not be me. Disguising myself would be pointless. Therefore, I'd like to return to my original color."

"Okay." Geordi nodded and somehow he couldn't find the guts to ask why he thought he couldn't return to Epsilon to be part of an away-team.

Data then suddenly seemed to be struck by an idea and looked at Maddox with a strange determination in his eyes. Maddox felt his gaze and looked at him questioningly.

"What is it, Data?"

"I was wondering how you are advancing with the design of the removal procedure of my emotion-chip." he asked and both scientists stopped in whatever they'd been doing.

Maddox looked at him hit by the question and no less by his bluntness, and Geordi gaped at both of them bewildered. The Doctor then looked at the android rather uncomfortably.

"Well... I was thinking that... considering Ms. Jones' condition... this would be the worst time to discuss the matter." he told both of them cautiously.

Data shook his head "This is exactly the best of times."

Maddox frowned confused but then answered the android's question "I... I have almost finished designing the removal procedure... We can go forward with it any time it's convenient for you. The only thing left is to prepare your lab."

Data glanced away considering then gave him a firm nod "Please, do all the preparations you need. I'll be available any time, you are ready, Doctor."

Maddox nodded thoughtfully and still a little confused by Data's directness. He turned up his palms "Since I'm not needed here any more, I'll go and prepare. I'll let you know."

Data nodded "Thank you, Doctor." and Maddox left with a still perplexed backward glance at the android.

The moment he was gone, Geordi glared at his friend in helpless frustration "Data! What are you doing?! Are you eager to get dissected as soon as possible or what?!"

"No, Geordi, but this has to be done."

"Oh, come on! You and I both know that this is all wrong! Even Maddox seems reluctant about it! And you push him to do it? Has that Romulan disruptor vaporised your mind?!"

Data glared at him silently and then put a newly replicated uniform jacket on "Thank you for making the repairs." he told him and was about to leave.

"Don't you dare walk out on me!" Geordi shouted and turned him back forcefully by the arm he'd just fixed.

Data looked at him with a slight resentment on his face "I sense that it's not possible to reason with you, right at the moment. And I do not wish to argue with you, and I do not wish to listen to your shouting at me either. So the only reasonable option is to walk out on you."

"No, it's not! You could also talk to me!" Geordi told him now pleading then bowed his head seemingly more calm "Listen. I'm sorry, I shouted at you. I didn't mean to... I understand that you're upset because of Emma, but..." he looked straight into his eyes and shook his head "Discarding all your emotions won't solve anything." he told him on a soft, caring voice.

"No, it won't. And I'm not discarding them, Geordi. Still, I have to do this. Exactly because of her. Exactly because of what happened to her during the mission." Data stated on a silent but still very determined voice.

Geordi frowned confused "She got hurt in a quake. It was not your fault!"

"I'm aware of that." Data nodded "Premier Jones'd fired the gun that started the quake that injured Emma, and I also know that I cannot make it right either. Still, this has to be done!"

"Why?! Why are you so hell-bent on it?" Geordi pleaded on still not seeing his point.

Data then turned to him fully, desperate for his friend to finally understand "Geordi, please just think about it for one second rationally! If my processing units hadn't been preoccupied by threads coming from my emotion-chip, I could have reacted to the rock slide that buried her several milliseconds faster! When we encountered the Romulans, I could have come up with better strategies to out-manoeuvre them even if they'd outnumbered us. But half of my processing capacity was occupied by the emotion-chip! Occupied by worry for Emma and my mother. Captain Picard warned me that taking two of my loved ones into a mission is difficult even for a human experienced with emotions. And do you know what my first reaction was? My pride was hurt, Geordi! Even if I knew that he might be right, I did not consider failing in protecting them, I did not consider turning the leadership over to the Captain. Now, Emma has to pay the price for my ego." he shook his head with bitter determination "Never in my life do I want to be in a situation again, where I fail my loved ones just because I love them! ...The decision of the court-martial was right. And I'm determined to submit myself to it. The soonest possible."

Geordi watched his friend speaking, and he felt his heart break under his words. Rationally, Data's reasoning was crystal clear and reasonable. But Geordi felt Data was unjust even to his own self. Probably, out of guilt. He wished he could somehow convince him that he was too strict with himself! That he was expecting inhuman capabilities of himself! But he knew if he tried to refute his arguments, he wouldn't stand a chance, and Data would just end up facing this procedure alone. So he had no choice but to give in and just try to be there for his friend.

"Look. When Maddox is ready, let me know about it. I don't want you to do this alone. I'll be there and watch over his hands, alright?"

Data felt a measure of relief. He really couldn't find the strength to argue with his best friend any longer, and now Geordi seemed to have conceded. "I am grateful, Geordi, but it is not necessary."

"Of course, it's necessary, I'm your friend, for god's sake! My place is at your side at difficult times!" Geordi pleaded once again.

Data shook his head "I know how you feel about this procedure. I know it would have a devastating impact on you to watch something that you judge to be the mutilation of your best friend. I do not wish to put you through such an ordeal."

"Data... Just consider it, okay? Whenever you need me, I want to be there. No matter how I feel about this. I want to be there for you. That's what friendship is about. Okay?"

Data let out a small breath, and a tiny smile ran through his features "I will consider your offer. Thank you, Geordi."

* * *

Deanna turned her head feeling a sudden rush of irritation coming from the direction where Captain Picard had been lying on a biobed. She saw he was just about to get up - and Doctor Selar tried to make him lie back.

"Captain, you need to rest at least one more hour after..."

"I'm fine, Doctor! I need to go to the Bridge. It's impossible that I've been healed two hours ago, and you make me lie here, doing nothing!"

The Vulcan doctor crossed her arms stubbornly "Captain! You have had a severe concussion! Any patient receiving cortical stimulation treatment would be required to lie still in the next three hours to make sure, there's no further damage. This is standard procedure."

"Doctor, I appreciate your kind concern, but as you might be aware, I'm the captain of this vessel! I need to at least contact the Bridge to see our status."

Deanna walked up to them and smiled at Doctor Selar kindly "Let me." she told her on a low voice. The Vulcan doctor nodded and though her features didn't betray any emotion, Deanna could feel that she was relieved.

"Captain, I've just checked in with the Bridge, and please, rest assured, that there's nothing out of the ordinary. Commander Riker is on duty, and he would notify you, had your presence been absolutely necessary on the Bridge, Sir." Deanna told him and felt the Captain giving in to her reasoning with a bemused grimace.

"Fine... I admit, I... just want to get out of here." he told her motioning around Sickbay with his hands. He then looked around cautiously and beckoned her closer with a hand. As Deanna leaned above him, he went on on a hushed voice "Checking in with Riker was one of the priorities, but checking in with Data would be an even more compelling reason to get out of Sickbay already. Have you seen him since he got back from Epsilon Four?"

Deanna nodded "I've seen him on the Bridge a few hours ago. He had us check the sector for a Romulan ship." she looked at him surprised as she went on "Haven't you talked to him since you've been back on board, Sir?"

"No. I haven't seen him ever since we separated on the planet. And I've been nailed to this goddamn bed ever since we were beamed back! All I know is that the mine collapsed on them, and Lieutenant Jones got hurt... A Romulan ship. So the rumours proved to be true..." Picard concluded with a grim expression.

Deanna shook her head "We found nothing. All our sensor sweeps were negative, let it be long or short ranged."

Picard grimaced again bemused. He needed the whole story. Data wouldn't go on a wildgoose chase after a Romulan ship without a good enough reason. "Counsellor, please, contact Data and tell him, I want to see him here. I have no combadge with me."

"As you wish, Sir." Deanna nodded but suddenly, that thought frightened her.

She'd been feeling worried about what Data had told her in the turbolift earlier, about how he was scared of coming to Sickbay and seeing Emma's husband. However, as far as she knew, the man had been sitting in the waiting area of the operating rooms in the last couple of hours. She hadn't even met him yet, though she'd been in Sickbay throughout. There was every chance that they would simply miss each other. Nevertheless, she needed to talk to Data about his feelings toward Jones, the sooner the better. She pressed her combadge and did as her Captain requested.

She went out and met Data in front of Sickbay. He eyed the entrance rather cautiously, and she walked up to him with a small smile.

"Data. It's good to see you recovered." she lightly touched his repaired arm.

He turned to her a little startled "Counsellor. Thank you." he nodded politely then his features straightened "Do you happen to know anything about Lieutenant Jones?" he asked on his most formal voice as if only asking about a subordinate, and Deanna understood, this was his way to protect himself.

She shook her head regretfully "All I know is that Doctor Crusher and Doctor Powell are still operating on her."

He nodded with a cloudy expression, but nothing more was visible on his face. He took a deep breath seemingly gathering his courage and started for the door. However, before he could enter, Deanna put a hand on his arm.

"Data. Let's talk a little before going in." when he looked at her surprised, she added "About what you told me. Earlier."

He turned to her fully again "Counsellor. I will do my best to restrain my anger towards Premier Jones. Please, do not worry. I am a Starfleet officer, after all." he added on a small voice.

Deanna didn't reply, just pulled him to a bench in a quiet corner serving as a waiting area near Sickbay. He sat there rigid with his back straight, and she leaned forward and a little sideways towards him with her elbows on her knees entwining the fingers of her hands.

"Data. You ARE a Starfleet officer. But you're also a man in love, anguished for his lady... And exactly because of that... I'm sorry, but I have to ask you something... Are you sure Premier Jones really has as much responsibility in Emma's present condition as you described before? I don't want to question your sincerity, Data! It's just that I know you three are in a very delicate situation. And you have to be aware of the fact that I'm not going to be the last or only person to ask you this question. I want you to be prepared for more complications."

Data felt suddenly angry, but then seeing the Counsellor's intentions, he made himself inspect his emotions toward Jones and the judgement he'd made based on the events - might it be that the latter was biased by the former? "He did fire the gun. Though he mustn't have known that he could start a quake with it. He also threatened Emma and Mr. Mils lethally. Then he shot me... Albeit it was by accident - he wanted to shoot Mr. Mils." he turned his head to her "I do hold a grudge against him, but it's certainly not without a reason! Although, I do admit." he shook his head with a grim expression "I can never be unbiased in my opinion of him! He tortured Emma throughout their marriage, and it's plain to see he is jealous now that she is happy... with somebody else."

With me, Deanna heard almost as clearly as if she could actually read his thoughts. She looked into his eyes "He knows that someone is you." it wasn't a question. "And he holds a grudge against you too." she concluded.

He nodded and turned his head away "He wants nothing but to possess her." he whispered "If he had managed to take her with him from the mines as he'd intended, I doubt we would ever have seen her again... She knew her life would be in grave danger, and yet... instead of leaving with him to safety, she jumped out of the lift right in the way of the collapsing ceiling." he shook his head now visibly desperate, and Deanna listened to him sharing his growing distress "It's horrible to say this, but... I'm sure she'd rather died under a rock slide than giving him the possibility to take her with him. And this is not simple resentment toward an ex-lover. I know her... She always tries to seem strong but... she is terrified of him." he shook his head "And I was unable to protect her." he closed his eyes for a long moment, letting his tears roll down his cheeks.

Deanna on impulse, put an arm around his broad shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace. Data at first didn't return it, but after a long moment, he finally buried his face into her shoulder. The hug didn't last more than a brief moment, and Deanna got the impression that Data didn't want to be comforted. Almost as if he wanted to suffer to atone... When he pulled away, she let him. She knew she couldn't push him, he needed to take his time to accept comfort.

They sat there in silence for a good few minutes. She was just about to tell him to go to the Captain, when he started to talk on a hushed voice.

"Did you know that... the clock rate of my main processing unit can be adjusted manually? It also sets the clock rate of the rest of the subprocessors, including the emotion-chip. ...For a while now... when I was around her, I've used the rate of Emma's heart beat as the basis to adjust my clock rate and processing speed. I... I had a processing thread running that had no other task but to listen only to her heart beat. I took the value and multiplied it to get a frequency usable for the processors. Still the basis of that value was her heart beat, and it gave me... a certain harmony with her, I've never before experienced with anybody else. When she was calm, my processing capacity decreased, calming my thought processes down in a sense. When she was angry or excited... I felt those emotions the way no human can perceive them..." he shook his head "I never told anyone about this, it was such a private sensation... In the mines... when I felt her heart beat fade and then disappear under my fingertips... and my main processor had to fall back on the original, automatic settings... I felt a hollowness I don't even know how to describe, Counsellor." he looked at her with a haunted expression "What if I never have the chance to experience that harmony with her again, Counsellor?"

She was so moved by what he'd just told her, that she needed a moment to be able to speak. She wiped an escaped tear off her face and then gently took one of his hands in both of hers. He could feel the wetness of her tear on her fingertips, and suddenly, he felt grateful for her being so sympathetic. Deanna looked at him with determination "You must not think about that, Data!" she told him on a hushed voice "As long as there is the smallest of chance, Beverly will fight for her and save her life. Please, try to believe in that!"

Data gazed away with a grim expression and answered after a moment of consideration "Emma's condition will change or remain unchanged regardless of what I believe in, Counsellor. But I understand that you wish to console me. Thank you for that! I will attempt to follow your advice and believe in Doctor Crusher's expertise... and even more so in Emma's will to survive."

Deanna nodded with a small smile. Then squeezed his hand in hers "Data. There's one other thing. As important as believing in Emma's recovery!" he looked at her, and she went on as they locked gazes "Please never forget that you're not alone in this. You do not have to take on Premier Jones all alone. You don't need to stand against him by yourself. We are here to help you. Believe me, if he's as guilty as you just described, he will make a mistake and expose his own crimes. And, I promise you, I WILL help you find all the proof there is against him!"

And for the first time in long hours, Data felt the tight fist in his chest loosen on his heart a little. He was NOT alone! He had his family to help him, and Jones would pay for all he did in the most legal form they could find!

"Thank you, Counsellor." he told her gratefully.

Suddenly, they heard loud voices coming from Sickbay. They exchanged startled glances, then stood and walked in.

Beverly was walking out of the operating area toward the entrance and was closely followed by Premier Jones.

"Haven't you heard me?! I have a right to see my wife!" Jones declared on a hard voice and for greater emphasis, took her by the arm forcefully "Beverly! Answer me, when I ask you a question!"

She looked at him in disbelief at the violence he displayed, and the next moment, found Picard next to them with his most carved-in-stone expression she'd ever seen him wearing. He looked deep into Jones' eyes:

"If I were you, I'd take my hand away." he growled on a dangerously low voice.

Jones glanced around to measure his chances - life stopped in Sickbay, everybody was looking at them shocked - and he let her arm go "Alright... I'm sorry..." he held up his hand in defence "But I do have a right to see my wife! Nobody can deny me that!"

Beverly turned to him fully and glared at him with blazing eyes "I'm the CMO on this ship. If I have a medically grounded reason to, I can even order the Captain to do as I said! This is not your colony! This is a Federation Starship, Edmond! You have no word here, no matter that you have a piece of paper stating that Emma is still chained to you legally! So resign yourself to the thought that you won't see her as long as she is here, because as long as I lead this medical facility, I won't allow you to get anywhere near her! Now, get the hell out of my Sickbay!"

Jones took a moment before he replied and then an arrogant smirk appeared on his face "Very well, Beverly. Do as you need to do. And I'll do as I need to do in order to get back what's mine! We'll see what the Admiral has to add to your little dictatorship in this part of the ship, my dear."

Beverly just went on glaring at him "Just try and find out."

Jones then walked toward the exit, then seeing Data standing a few meters from it, he stopped and locked gazes with the android. He moved his eyes from his rival's head to toe and back again, and a satisfied grin appeared on his face "Well, well, well... my little wife fell for a plastic doll. I'm sure she had great fun dressing you up and combing your hair. But it's time for her to return to a real man. To whom she really belongs."

Data felt Deanna take him by the lower arm gently, and he knew it was to once again reassure him that he was not alone.

"Come on, Data." she whispered and started to push him into the direction of Doctor Crusher and the Captain. As they turned away from Jones, he started to walk toward the exit. But something in her made her feel an insurmountable urge to look back at the man, and then her eyes met Jones' as he turned back to her too from the door.

She froze. She let Data's arm go and could only stare into the Premier's dark eyes. It was as if her gaze was glued to his... and she was falling into a deep, cold chasm.

It was only a moment, and Jones walked out of Sickbay leaving them finally alone. But a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over Deanna when their eye-contact broke, and she suddenly felt, her legs gave way underneath her.

Data caught her and helped her remain standing. "Counsellor!"

Doctor Crusher and the Captain hurried up to them with concerned gazes "Deanna, are you alright?" she asked worried.

Deanna swallowed and tried to take a deep breath "I think so." she touched her temple feeling confused "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." she whispered on a faint voice.

"Let me check you." Beverly offered, but Deanna shook her head now with a small smile.

"No, no, I'm fine... It's nothing physical... It was rather..." she frowned feeling helplessly unable to put her sensation into words.

"It's alright. We've all had a very long day behind us, Counsellor." the Captain put his hand on her arm, and she nodded absently, finding it easier to let them think it was fatigue than anything else - anything else that she herself had no idea how to describe.

Data looked at Beverly finally not bearing it any longer "Doctor Crusher..." all his distress, and anguish was now plainly written all over his features.

Beverly looked up at him and suddenly felt she had no idea how to break the news to him. She took a deep breath hoping that maybe somehow, he could sense from her being so upset, that she didn't have good news - but knowing Data, she knew it was a hopeless effort. "Data... I wish I could tell you something positive... The good news is that she's alive. She survived the operation. But..." she shook her head. She was too tired to beat around the bush any longer, she had to simply tell him the truth. "She's in a coma."

Deanna bowed her head, the Captain watched Beverly with his unreadable expression and Data tried to comprehend what he had just heard as Beverly went on. Her voice was silent and distressed.

"She lost a huge amount of blood. She was in effect dead for over twenty minutes. We were very lucky that we could bring her back at all. Without the basic first aid you performed on her, it wouldn't have been possible. But even so... it seems her brain was oxygen-deprived for too long and..." she bowed her head looking for words which seemed to have lost her.

It was the Captain who finally spoke up and asked "What are the chances of her coming to? Fifty-fifty?"

Beverly raised her head to look into his eyes "More like thirty-seventy - or even less than that." she replied on a soft voice. She took a moment before she went on "Scientific literature does describe cases where after such a trauma, the patient woke up after a little while. The first three days are the most crucial. In most of the described cases, the patient would wake up in the first three days... If there's no change during that time, then..." she shook her head, and a determined expression appeared on her face "I'll do all that's medically possible. She receives brain stimulation drugs at present as well as cortical stimulation treatment, and I have a few other things I can try, if the standard procedures don't bring us the desired results. But... we have to keep in mind that... there're no guarantees."

After a long silent moment, Data nodded "I understand." he locked gazes with Beverly "May I see her, Doctor Crusher?" he asked on a soft voice.

She looked at him regretfully "I'm sorry, Data. But if I let you see her, I will have no basis to send Edmond away, when he wants to see her. And I want to avoid that at all cost. Please, understand. As long as he's on the Enterprise, I can let no one near her."

Data gave her a tiny nod and then simply turned and walked out. Deanna was about to go after him, when the Captain stopped her "There's nothing you can do for him at the moment, Counsellor. Let him take his time."

Deanna wrapped her arms around herself as a chill run through her body and hung her head wistfully.


	38. Chapter 38

Data walked back into his quarters and collapsed on his bed almost as if he felt exhausted. Spot walked up to him and tried to flatter him by cuddling up to his leg. He looked down at her, then without a word stood and went to the replicator.

"Feline supplement, number 25." he ordered and then put the bowl of cat food on the floor.

He went back to his bed to go on just sitting and staring ahead listlessly. Spot walked to the bowl of food, but after a smell of it, she turned and walked back to where Data was sitting.

He met her amber gaze with his own "I thought this was your favourite." he whispered.

Spot then sat back on her hind-legs and put her forepaws on his knee. Data watched her confused but finally gave in and put a gentle hand on her head. Spot leaned into his touch and made him pat her.

"I wonder how you're able to do this." he asked on a whisper feeling his heart warmed by his pet's display of love. He gathered her into his arms and let her soft purring flood his neural net with tranquillity.

And in that moment, all the emotions he had previously squeezed into a background process, suddenly emerged! He no longer needed to pay attention to anything around him, and his emotion-chip demanded all the freed up resources! He suddenly felt oddly tempted to let himself be completely consumed by his bittersweet memories of her, of them together. To do nothing but to simply exist and remember, and feel the absence she left in her wake, throbbing through his neural net.

 _...they shook hands in front of the holodeck "I'm Emma..."_

 _"Emma Jones. Medical Officer. I know. I'm Data."_

She seemed startled by the fact that he already had known who she was. They'd met the night before and played a game called tic-tac-toe - on the holodeck walls nonetheless!

 _"... the artificial intelligence?"_

 _"Android, more precisely."_

 _"...I thought you were human back when we played that silly game..."_ she replied - and she'd never looked at him in any other way! She always considered him what he aspired to be, instead of what he actually was, always seeing something more, something better in him. Something that for a while, he himself was afraid to consider himself. An equal, a partner for her.

How angry she seemed when she told him off in front of the holodeck for his lifeless performance during the rehearsals of Dreamland! They were having a real fight! - He never had a real fight with anybody before that. Retrospectively, it was a fascinating experience.

And that wasn't the only 'first' that day. He felt an insurmountable attraction toward her for the very first time he'd known her.

 _..."And I don't care if you like guys instead of girls!"_

 _"I ...I am heterosexual."_

 _She stopped in her rampage suddenly and found herself looking at his slightly parted lips "Oh..." she breathed and moved in to stand very close to him - he could feel her breath on his lips as she talked "Glad we cleared that one up..." she whispered as she looked from his eyes onto his lips and back again._

 _"Mu-Must you stand quite so close?" he stammered on a low voice._

 _"I'm very nearsighted." she replied without missing a beat, and as she spoke, he could feel her hot breath touching his lips._

He should have known that from that moment onwards, he'd have been lost, forever. But it took both of them more time to realize that. No matter how mightily they fought their attraction, they could never let go of each other completely after that very moment.

She was there when he was struggling with his memories of his abduction by the Borg. She was always there, no matter how hard he'd try to push her away. He kept asking himself, why? Why did she choose him? Among all the men on the ship who had no such baggage, who were... real man, not just a knock-off of a human. While she kept asking him why he chose, someone as sarcastic and pessimistic and disturbed as she was. Yes, they both had their fair share of doubts.

But last night! They opened up to one another in a way neither of them had ever done before! The physical manifestation of that amazing mental link was a night of unity that answered whatever remaining doubts they had... Oh, that night...

Why?! Why did the events have to take such a turn? Just a few days ago, he'd been the happiest creature in the universe! Why wasn't he able to make better decisions? Would he be able to if he didn't have his precious chip? Would it matter anymore, if Emma...

It was torture that he was not allowed to see her! His neural net was almost screaming from craving after her touch or the feel of her under his palm. He felt so empty inside, he never before had - even without emotions. How could emotions give him a sense of hollowness greater than the absence of emotions? How was this possible?

He looked around in his empty quarters. Emma's Dreamland dress was lying on the sofa. He turned his head to the shelf: there was his Sherlock Holmes hat. She liked that so much, she tried it on several times always checking herself in the mirror to a jocular effect. She liked to brush her hair in front of that mirror. He always loved the feel of her hair between his fingers and under his palm. He turned his head away and saw his drawers. Whatever few civilian clothes he possessed, he kept them there. She always liked to sleep in his under-shirts and boxers. He would scoop up behind her, inhale the fragrance of her hair and listen to her soft breathing. Hours and hours on. Time became fluid during the nights. Minutes and hours melted into each other, while he was doing nothing but simply marvelling at the feel of her in his arms.

He lay down on his back. Spot was startled by the sudden motion, but then adjusted herself into a scooping position on his chest. He held onto the bedsheets underneath him with his fists. What would he do if he never had a chance to lie in this bed together with Emma anymore?

"I need you so much!" he whispered to the silence "Please, come back to me! Please don't leave me alone!" he tightened his fists on the bedclothes and closed his eyes letting his tears roll down his temples "Please, forgive me for being so selfish!" he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling desperate, crippled with fear.

The moment when he'd need to say goodbye to his loved ones, to Emma and all other members of his surrogate family was never very far away. He was immortal. They were not. He couldn't look forward to a termination of pain that the loss of his friends would cause. And he accepted that a long time ago. Not much later than he got his emotion-chip and realized the true gravity of the conversation he'd had with Geordi after they'd found his severed head near San Francisco. He didn't understand what it would involve to lose his friends then. But he did comprehend it after FEELING scared for his friends for the first time of his life. He realized then that he somehow had to accept the fact that he would lose everybody he ever loved sooner or later, one by one.

But he was not ready! He needed more time! More time to prepare himself! More time... to simply live and be happy with the woman... he came to love... Love. Was THIS love? Was this bittersweet throbbing of her absence through his mental pathways love? What if he never would have the chance to find out?

The doorchime suddenly interrupted his crippling reverie. He raised his head confused almost as if he was waken from one of his dream sequences. But he knew he was not sleeping.

"Who's it?" he asked on a lower voice than he intended.

"Earl Mils, Mr. Data. Could I talk to you for a moment?"

Data sat up startled - Spot rolling off his upper body with an irritated meow - and gazed around confused for a moment. Earl Mils... His eyes widened in realization: Mother! Whatever happened to his mother?! He thought Mr. Mils was with her! He searched his memory files and found that he hadn't seen them in Sickbay. He completely forgot about both of them. He quickly started a diagnostic thread in the background to find out how that was even possible and stood.

"Yes, please come in!" he said on a firmer voice. In the periphery of his vision, he could see his cat jumping up on the bed, and after some kneading, she lay back down with a bemused growl.

Earl stepped through the door and as it closed behind him, he glanced behind startled. He cleared his throat embarrassed and then looked at Data a little surprised. He hadn't seen him in his android form yet.

"Oh..." he made an unconscious motion toward the younger man with a fleeting smile "Yellow suits you well, Mr. Data." he remarked absently.

Data looked at him with a blank expression not knowing what exactly to answer to such a - compliment? He frowned slightly:

"What can I do for you, Mr. Mils?"

"Eh, yes..." Earl blinked a little distracted "Well... I came because of Juliana." he held up his hands almost as if in defence "Now, I know about Emma. And I understand if you want to be alone. However... your mother is also very upset. ...As I understand, it's because of what you told her in the mines." he gestured toward him again.

In that moment, Data was virtually hit by the realization how neglecting he'd been! He felt remorse washing over his neural net as he thought about how he had told his mother that she was an android, made her save all of them, and then simply abandoned her so he could lick his own wounds. She was left alone, suffering after a traumatizing realization, while he was filled with sorry for his own self so much so, that not even one singular processing thread was left for his own mother! He suddenly felt ashamed and knew he'd have blushed had he possessed the ability.

He looked into Earl's eyes full of concern "Have you talked to her about it?" he asked on a moved voice.

Earl shook his head "I wasn't able to talk to her about anything. I was treated in Sickbay for decompression sickness - and a few other conditions I wasn't even aware that I had. When I was released, I went to her quarters, of course, I had to find them first which was a considerable amount of time... but anyways, she wouldn't let me in. So I came to you. I'm sure, she would talk to you, Mr. Data."

Data nodded thoughtfully "You ...are concerned about her... because you and she have developed a certain affinity down on the planet. Is that perception correct, Mr. Mils?"

Earl gave him a firm nod "She's an extraordinary woman. Android or not..." his lips twitched upwards in an encouraging smile. Data stared at him surprised as he went on "Seems it goes in the family. My little bird developed a similar affinity towards yourself." as Data again didn't - couldn't - answer, Earl gazed away thoughtfully "She seemed so thoroughly happy, when she turned up on my doorstep a day ago. I don't know whether it's the more trusting society of the twenty-forth century or your own trusting character, but I've never seen her more positive, more optimistic about the future." he looked into Data's eyes "It's a huge thing for someone as tortured as Emma is, Mr. Data. And... no matter how things have turned out... I'm sincerely grateful for that."

And once again Data had no idea what to reply. He was still not able to decide how to feel about this man who was so similar to his own father, yet he had a quality of care that Noonian Soong's personality always lacked. But who was also presumably his mother's love interest, and someone very close to Emma as well. He couldn't deny to feel a certain amount of jealousy - if only he knew what he was jealous about. It was just too confusing, so he left a processing thread to find some sort of an explanation of his ambiguous feelings.

Earl nodded toward the door, sensing that he'd embarrassed Data "Let's check your mother."

* * *

Juliana Tainer - or more precisely the android who'd believed of herself that she'd been Juliana Tainer throughout her life - was sitting in front of her mirror in a bathrobe and brushed her long, gray hair. She'd taken a long shower that washed away the dirt and dust of the mines. She felt the touch of the water and sensed it to be first too warm. When she stepped out of the shower, she felt cold, felt goosebumps on her skin. The small bruises on her hands started to burn after the analgesic cream had been washed off, and some of them even started to seep some blood.

She felt all of these trivial sensations, saw her own blood - and just couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she was not a human! But Data did not lie. Had he lied, she wouldn't have been able to carry Emma or pull the wires of the lift for 10000 meters!

Which one was her? The old lady with chronic back pain and a mild hypertension, with wrinkles around her eyes and gray hair? Or the sturdy android that carried 100 kilogramm stones? Who... WHAT was she?!

And what happened to the real Juliana? Was she dead? How did she die? Which of her memories were her own and which belonged to the real Juliana? Did Pran know? Who else knew about it if Data did? And most importantly why, oh, WHY hadn't he said one single word?!

She buried her face in her palms and sobbed as desperation engulfed her once again.

The doorchime suddenly interrupted her misery, and she moaned on a bitter voice "I've told you, go away, Earl! I don't want to see anyone!"

"It's me, Mother. Open the door." he heard Data's voice coming through the comlink, and she gazed ahead confused. What should she do? Should she ask these nagging questions? Or should she simply lock herself up in this room forever? Who knew what horror did her past hold?! What if it turns out that she was the very creature who killed the real Juliana just to take her place?

"Mother! I can use my security codes to override the lock on the door, but I'd like to avoid having to explain myself to security. Please!" his voice seemed strict - almost as if he was the parent and she the stubborn child.

She slowly stood and turned to the door "Come..." she uttered on a small voice, and Data stepped in through the door.

They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, and Data felt his remorse growing by leaps and bounds seeing his mother's tears and distressed gaze.

He silently swore then, that from that moment on, he'd stop being so selfish, and he would eliminate all traces of ego from his emotions to be able to fully concentrate on his loved ones! And only to them!

"Mother..." he called to her softly, and she gazed away closing her eyes bitterly for a moment.

"Don't call me that." she whispered "It's a lie. It's always been a lie..." she told him on a breaking voice and collapsed on the sofa burying her face into her palms.

Data watched her for a moment longer unsure of what to do. He then decided to emulate the person whom he considered knowing most about comforting people: Deanna Troi. At situations like this, she'd always somehow try to touch him, maybe even embrace him, usually to a comforting effect. The way she just had outside of Sickbay.

He walked over to the couch and slowly sat down next to his mother. He then put a tentative hand on her back. A tremor ran through her body at the touch, but she didn't stop crying. He slid his hand to her shoulder and gently pulled her to him. Finally, she let herself be cuddled by him as her sobs rippled through her.

"Mother... you'll always be my mother... The only difference is that... we are more related than you might ever have thought..." he told to her on a silent voice, holding her gently in his arms.

At this, she seemed to calm a little. She slowly pulled away and resting her elbows on her knees, put her hands in front of her mouth. She gazed up at him with her tears still on her cheeks, and Data gently took her trembling hands into both of his.

Juliana's gaze drifted into nothing as she sniffled "How long have you known?" she asked on a faint voice.

"Almost from the very beginning. When you asked for help with your late husband to save Atrea." he answered on his usual silent voice.

She looked at him shocked "How did you learn about it? How could you tell?"

"There were signs." he replied recalling his memories of that year from his archives "Signs that could only have been noticed by me. The way you played the violin, the way you blinked." he seemed almost as if he was reading with his minds eye "Then there was the accident. And that made it certain."

Juliana watched him trying to recall her own memories "I broke my arm then."

"Yes." he nodded "We repaired the damage, but you'd stay unconscious. Then we found... we found a chip containing a message."

"A message?"

"From father." he replied, and Juliana gaped in disbelief.

"It was he..."

Data nodded "He constructed you. Just as he constructed me and Lore."

Juliana gaped at him shocked for a moment longer, then jumped up pulling her hands away and started to pace the room. Her face was bewildered, and she shook her head still in disbelief "Why?" she stopped and looked at Data demandingly "Why?! Why did he need to create an android looking EXACTLY like his wife? And not just looking! But feeling and thinking and..."

"Mother, I promise I'll tell you all I know." he caught her gaze and looked at her pleading "I've come to understand the story of your creation and father's reasons behind it quite well in the course of years. Because I wanted answers too. I managed to find most of them."

Juliana looked at him shocked for a moment longer then walked back to him and sat next to him. "I'm listening." she whispered and seemed to compose herself as much as it was possible.

Data took a deep breath and straightened his back. He gazed away as he recalled all that he'd find out in chronological order.

"This story starts sometime in 2337, on Omicron Theta, a year after my creation. You and father brought Lore and me up like brothers, but this is something you might remember better than I do. Lore was jealous of me, of the attention I received from both you and father, to the point that he managed to make contact with the Crystalline Entity and had it attack the colony." he looked at her absently "My memories of the events are rather vague. I received most of them with the emotion-chip. However, they are more like the journals of the colonists. Not real memories of my own, rather the facts, impressions of other people, not my own." he turned away again gazing ahead "The colony moved into the underground facility we later discovered with the Enterprise crew in 2364. Lore became so undisciplined that father finally dismantled him. However, he couldn't have known that Lore summoned the Crystalline entity again to finish what it'd started." he looked into her eyes with a meaningful expression "And this is where your memories start to be very different from the events that really took place on Omicron Theta."

Juliana stared at him stunned "How so?"

Data went on looking into her eyes "The entity attacked again, and you - more precisely, the human Juliana Soong got injured seriously. However, father was prepared for such an event. I believe... that he knew that your human counterpart would not survive those wounds, no matter what medical attention she received. But he already had a plan how to save his love. He put the unconscious Juliana into the life-pod. There was really no space left for me with her lying on two of the three seats. He wiped my memories leaving only the journals of the colonists intact and then took her away to Terlina Three. He then scanned the human Juliana's mind using synaptic scanning and managed to salvage her consciousness into a positronic matrix. That is your real birthday, the birthday of your current self... The human Juliana then... died a few days later."

Juliana gazed away again with the feeling that she was just unable to wrap her mind around all of this. But if what Data'd just told her was true, her greatest guilt, the one she barely could live with throughout all these years was actually not hers! She did NOT abandon Data on Omicron! Noonian did! She looked at Data feeling her heart drumming hard against her chest "Why? Why did he lie?! How could he make me feel guilty for long decades that I abandoned my son?!"

"I do not have facts about that, however... I speculate, he had no other choice. Please, understand. His first and foremost priority was to make you believe that you're a human. He went to the greatest lengths to achieve that. He needed to make sure that you'd never even question the events around your escape from Omicron. It was the best option, if you hadn't even dared to THINK about it! And it seems, he had no other means to achieve that but awaking guilt in you... I know it seems cruel to you... it did seem that to me... but indeed, it was maybe the only way to keep you from finding out what really happened there." he took a moment to go on "He was not less hard on me either. My memories wouldn't have had to be wiped out just before the entity attacked. I tried to find a good enough reason for it, but found none that would withstand scientific arguments. The only reason I can imagine is the fact that I knew that you were badly hurt. And as I was like a little child then, asking too much, and talking too much, he could never have made sure that I'd keep my mouth shut about your true nature. And he could not take that risk. So he just wiped it all out."

Juliana shook her head feeling a rage burning in her chest. "Noonian!" she shook her head again as her hands tightened into fists where they lay on her lap "How could you..." she whispered on a bitter voice "How could you..."

"I do believe that he felt remorse over how he manipulated all of us throughout his life. I believe he gave some of my memories back because of this remorse. And... you also have to consider his good intentions. He never wanted you to learn that you're an android. He wanted you to live as a human. And looking at your life, he achieved his goal, Mother."

Her eyes filled with tears again "But that life is just a lie! His lie to me! To all of whoever loved him!" she looked at him desperate "Data, you should have told me! You really thought I would want to live in a lie?" she broke down crying again and put her hands to her cheeks.

Data reached out and gently took her hands in his again. He searched her gaze, and when she finally looked at him through her tears, he went on "At first, it was not possible. He designed you to lose consciousness the moment your belief of your human nature was in danger. When you broke your arm, there was no reason for you to lose consciousness. However, had you been awake, you'd have seen that your arm is actually a cybernetic one. This was one of the ways father used to make sure that you'd never learn about your true nature."

Juliana frowned confused at this "But... in the mines, you told me, straight into my eyes, that I'm an... an..." her voice broke, and he squeezed her hands gently.

"Because I modified those settings." She gaped at him stunned as he went on "I argued that if there's another accident, and it happens in much less friendly surroundings, it would place you in grave danger. I argued that your safety was more important than what you believed. I didn't want you to fall into the wrong hands just because father was so adamant about keeping you away from reality." he bowed his head "In the mines... I had no other choice." he whispered then looked into her eyes with remorse clearly written all over his face "I'm so sorry, Mother! I took away from you what I've been coveting all my life. No matter the reason, no matter the circumstances, it was a crime against you! I hope some day you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Data..." this time she squeezed his hands in hers, and they looked into each other's eyes again "You did the right thing." she whispered "I'm not angry at you." she reached out and gently stroked his cheek "My son..." new tears clouded her vision "I'm only angry at your father! ...I still can't believe what I really am..." her voice once again broke.

"Mother! What you did for all of us was more than anyone could ever have done!" he reached up for her hand still on his cheek and taking it to his lips, kissed it gratefully "You saved our lives! Nobody else could have done that!"

She took a shaky breath still finding it hard to believe. She looked into her son's eyes and saw that underneath the remorse, his eyes glinted with a new light.

He went on stroking her hands with his thumbs "There is one other thing, Mother. Father set a previously determined end to your life to emulate that of a human's death. However, this setting can also be modified! I've always lived my life with the knowledge that I'd lose all whom I ever loved, one by one. Because my life was without an end. But now, I can look forward to having you in my immortality! If you wish it so too!"

Juliana was hit by the proposition so much she suddenly felt dizzy. Eternal life?! She could have eternal life?!

But before she could reply, Data's combadge went off:

"Maddox to Data."

Data pushed the combadge with a sudden grim expression "Data here!"

"I'm finished with the preparations. We can begin at your earliest convenience."

"Understood, Sir. I'm on my way." Data replied on his most professional voice and then cut the comlink.

"Data..." Juliana stroked his shoulder knowing exactly what this Maddox was prepared to do to her son, but she just couldn't find the words to stop him!

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her with determined eyes "Do not worry, Mother. Please, do not worry about me!" he whispered, and leaning close to her, gave a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I have to go now." he told her silently, then let her go, stood and walked out.

Juliana watched him go with burning eyes, then turned her head to gaze out at the starry night. Here she was "blessed" with sudden immortality, strength and mental capacity. And she was not able to help her son. "Oh, Noonian... we brought a life into this universe... just to make him suffer..."

She then heard an embarrassed cough coming from the door and gazed up startled seeing Earl standing there.

"Data let me in." he explained and took another step towards her but stopped at her grim expression in the middle of the room "If you wish, I'll leave. I just... wanted to make sure you're provided for."

Juliana took her gaze away from him and just stared at her hands. It took Earl a whole minute to take up the courage and sit opposite her on the couch. But he didn't dare to touch her.

Juliana stared only at her hands. They began to tremble as she felt her chest be gripped by fear. But she had to ask the one thing she had on her mind ever since she'd learned...

"Are you not disgusted?" she whispered.

Earl stared at her in shock "Why?"

"Because you didn't ...spend the night with a woman. But with a machine..." she whispered. She swallowed hard and tried to blink back her tears.

He saw her struggling, and it tore at his old heart. He took her gently by the hands, leaned to her and kissed her on the lips for a short moment. When he let go, she gaped at him shocked at his reaction. He just smiled at her lovingly:

"Juliana... I did spend the night with a woman. And no matter what the world or even what she, herself thinks about herself... that fact did not change in a day! She's here sitting right next to me... And I hope she'll be sitting next to me for a long time."

In that terrible, terrible day, that was the very first moment, she felt, she would finally be able to come to terms with all that she'd learned about herself. Not that day, and not even the next one or the next. But one day. When she would be able to accept herself the way her son and love did.

* * *

 **A/N: In itself, Juliana's story is worth its own fanfiction, I suppose. Please, feel free to write it, unfortunately the boundaries of the present story do not allow me to make such a detour. I also need to note that the idea, that Juliana was unconscious in the life-pod, and there actually was no place for Data is coming from a comment under 'Inheritance' in Keith DeCandido's rewatch.**

 **If you can find it in your heart, please, leave a review! :)**


	39. Chapter 39

After being ordered back into a horizontal position, Captain Picard obediently spent another hour lying on the biobed - but not a minute more! He sat up energetically - fought off an unexpected wave of dizziness - then looked around in Sickbay. Unlike an hour before, it was generally quiet all around. Apart from an ensign consulting with Doctor Selar, there was nobody around. Though it was understandable: it was already night-time. He took a deep breath and getting off the biobed walked to the nearest panel.

He pressed a button "Computer, locate Commander Data."

The computer chirped in response: "Commander Data is in the guest quarters with Doctor Juliana Tainer."

The Captain grunted with a bemused grimace. He'd have to postpone talking to Data to let him talk to his mother. She seemed quite upset when he last saw her in Sickbay a few hours ago. Anyways, he could use a good shower and a change of clothes too - and a few hours of sleep as well. Even though he had the opportunity in the last hours, he couldn't doze off for more than a few moments in the busy room. He decided to head for home and started for the exit. Then stopped before he stepped through the doors. He turned back gazing toward the operating area - Beverly. She hadn't been seen ever since she'd told them about Lieutenant Jones' condition. And she must have been just as exhausted as he was. Or even more so, as she did a difficult operation on her friend. He sighed slouching and walked up toward the operating rooms.

He looked in, but there was nobody inside, so he asked a nurse to point him in the right direction. He then found Beverly in a ward sitting at a console tapping in a padd - and next to her lied Ms. Jones on the biobed. The room was dark except for the faint lights coming from the various instruments and panels betraying the values characteristic of Emma's condition.

He stepped in, and Beverly looked up from the padd at the sound of the door closing behind him.

She looked strangely hostilely at him "Jean-Luc! I've told you and the others: nobody is to visit Emma as long as her husband is here!" she stood and went to the neighbouring console "Please, leave. I'll send you my report every three hours." she told him dismissively looking only at the console.

He frowned at her strange behaviour but didn't get discouraged. He stepped further in and walked up to stand next to her "I did not come to visit her, but to see you."

She stopped reading the values and looked at him taken aback for a moment, then went around him to stand next to Emma's bed "I suppose, it goes without saying, that this is not the best of times." she remarked and started to program the biobed with the values on her padd. "...eleven point three, five point zero one three..." she mumbled tapping the panel of the bed, she suddenly frowned and shook her head as if she wanted to clear her vision, then wiped her eyes "We can talk later, Jean-Luc, now, I'm busy." she dropped without a glance at him.

Picard stepped up to her and could see circles under her bloodshot eyes. He made a quick calculation and estimated that she'd been on her feet for at least a straight 36 hours - in which she was arrested, beaten up and had to do a difficult operation. She desperately needed rest, and seemingly needed someone to order her to bed. Now, if he knew how to go about that with her being so single minded at the moment...

"What are you giving her?" he asked to at least try to start a conversation.

"Alkysine, it's to rebuild damaged nerve endings and a new type of cortical analeptic. It's only been out for a few weeks. I haven't used it on anyone yet, but the experiences of other doctors are very promising." she pushed a few more buttons on the bed "I also need to cut back on the dosage of Lectrazine, so it wouldn't overstimulate her system."

He nodded with a grunt then looked at the woman lying on the bed. After a long moment, he spoke up on a thoughtful voice "She seems so strange lying here." Beverly looked at him annoyed that he wouldn't obey her, but then she followed his look and fixed her gaze on Emma's face too as he went on "She is such a formidable woman. And now... she seems so frail... almost small on this bed." he shook his head slightly taking a deep troubled breath "I talked her into taking this mission, which she wanted to avoid almost at all cost. It needed to be done, that's without question. She's a Starfleet officer, and this mission is for the sake of the Federation, which we all swore to protect. But... at such times I really hate to be the Captain." he admitted on a bitter voice.

Suddenly, he heard a stifled sob and looking at Beverly, he saw her covering her mouth with a hand. On impulse, he crossed to her and took her by the shoulders "Beverly..."

She pushed his hands away "I'm fine..." she wiped her face and took a step backwards "Please, leave Jean-Luc, I need to work." she told him on a small moan still trying hard to get a grip. He watched her going to one of the consoles. She started to tap the padd, but her hands were trembling so much that it simply fell out of her hand.

"Ah, damn this..." she swore on a low voice crouching, and then moaned in pain as she wanted to stand.

He squatted next to her and putting his arm around her waist, helped her to a standing position "Are you alright?" he asked worried.

"Ah, sure..." she moaned rubbing her hip "It's just... I had no time to heal my bruises."

He gaped at this stunned "You haven't been checked since we got back from the planet?"

She pulled away "I'm sure I mentioned that I had no time!" she snapped "I have a friend to wake from coma, if you might have forgotten about the fact." she then seeing his expression, shrugged and went on on a lower voice "Anyways, these are really just bruises. Nothing serious."

"Still you should be checked." he started, but she cut him off.

"Sure, I'll do that the first thing as soon as I've read through the latest research of Doctor Lshoo. He's an expert with coma cases." she told him stubbornly and was about to sit back in front of the console with the padd - but she dropped the padd again.

"What's with this thing today?!" she growled and was about to pick it up again, but this time, he didn't let her bend for it. He took her by the shoulders again and turned her to him "Beverly, you are thoroughly exhausted. You cannot help Emma in this state. Stop being so stubborn!"

"I'm fine, just a little sore and tired. I just need a doze of metheffedrine, and I'll pull through at least one more shift. I don't have time to rest." she declared pulling her arms out of his hands.

"Exhausting yourself over your limits is not helping her. And she would never want you to, even wouldn't let you do this to yourself!"

"You see, that's the point! She's not awake to tell me off for it! And I'm not going to rest until I figure a way out to revive her!" she told him determined and stepped back to Emma's bed. He let her, and stood there unmoving, watching her. She wiped her friend's hair out of her forehead gently "I wish I could let Data see her. It might do some good - I read that there's empirical proof that comatose patients may even hear people talking to them." she said on a low voice.

He walked up to her and watching her wistful face looking at her friend, he gently touched her arm "You're here to talk to her." he told her silently.

She took a shaky breath "I wish that was enough."

"She loves you as a precious sister. It IS enough, Beverly." he told her with a faith she always admired he had. And suddenly, she felt bad about pushing him away so hard - he wanted to help her so much. And he actually did with his relentless belief.

She turned her head to him, her eyes glistened with unshed tears and without a word, she cuddled up to him. He took her in his arms, holding her close and patting her back comfortingly as she let herself cry for the first time, she'd learned about what happened to Emma.

"She'll be fine." he whispered.

"How do you know?" she asked on a breaking voice, and sniffed, now openly sobbing into his shoulder "How can you be so sure, Jean-Luc? Ah..." she moaned.

He cradled her gently letting her cry into him "Too many people came to love her for her not to want to come back. Data and you, your cast at the theatre. She found a surrogate family here." She pulled away a little to look at him as he went on "Besides, she's just too damn stubborn to simply live out a life like this... Have I ever told you that she once called me a hard-ass? Me! After I told her off nonetheless!"

"No!" a small chuckle rippled through her tears "Oh, god, it's so much like her!"

"Do you think that a woman with a skull as thick as hers would succumb to illness or injury? She'll pull through!" he gave her a small encouraging smile, stroking her arm comfortingly.

She took in a shaky breath finally getting a grip on her emotions "I hope you're right."

"I am right! And now, come! I want you to check in with Doctor Selar, and then I put you to bed! Ah-ah, no buts! You NEED rest! You'll be able to do your research work rested a lot more efficiently than now! Come!"

Beverly frowned annoyed at his being so assertive "You ARE a hard-ass!" it slipped her tired mind, and at his surprised look, she just blinked just as taken aback by what she'd just uttered.

He grimaced bemusedly "I might be a hard-ass, but that woman is one hell of a bad influence!"

* * *

An hour later, Picard was sitting in Beverly's quarters and was waiting for her to finish her shower. He offered to escort her home, and she invited him in, which he reluctantly accepted. Sitting there in her quarters, waiting for her, he felt a little... ill at ease to say the least. His mind kept wondering back into that dark cell, to what she'd told him there. She was so bluntly honest! Of course, they were in a situation that could have ended in a much worse scenario. Still... She said she loved him! She did love him!

He cleared his throat and straightened his back to sit a bit less comfortably. This is not the time to think of all this! he reprimanded himself. Beverly's mind was on her friend and on finding a way to cure her. And he actually had a lot of things to do too, even if it was late at night: he had to talk to Data and Riker, because the Admiral wanted a briefing in the morning, and he didn't want to go there with holes in his mind! No, as soon as he put Beverly to bed, he'd go and look after business.

He didn't have to wait too long for Beverly to emerge from the bathroom. In a few minutes time, he heard the water stop, and she stepped into the living room in nothing more than a thick, warm bathrobe. Her hair was damp, and she walked up to the couch bare-footed, having a few drops of water on her neck and what was visible of the skin of her shoulders. She sat down only half a meter from him with a weary but at least a little bit relieved expression on her face. He watched her as if he saw a vision. Where did his mind left off about going after business? he nudged himself. But just couldn't recall whatever else he needed to do that night but to watch Beverly sitting next to him.

"You made steamed milk for me?" she asked on a silent voice pointing to the cup on the table, and he finally woke from his day-dreaming.

"Eh, yes." he blinked absently, then smiled embarrassed "Aunt Adele recipe. You know already."

She nodded and gave him a small smile while taking the cup into her hands. She took only a sip and then put it back on the table - she really felt her stomach as small as a head of a pin.

He cleared his throat and pointed to the dining table "There's also a light supper for you over there! Please, eat it before you go to bed. We didn't have the chance to have food since having dinner at the Residence, and that was a day ago." he looked into her eyes and as she was just sitting there without any answer, he turned his palms up "Well, now that I made sure that you're provided for, I'll be on my way."

As he put down his two fists on the couch to raise himself, she suddenly took him by the lower arm "Please, don't go!" she asked on a low voice, and as he turned his stunned gaze to her, he could see the distress in her eyes. He conceded and settled back searching her gaze. She then let him go and bowed her head "I don't want to be alone." she admitted on a whisper then looked at him with begging eyes "Could you stay with me, Jean-Luc?" she asked, and he felt his insides melted at the way she asked that.

"Of course." he breathed and gazed away a little lost. Desperately trying to think of something to get themselves out of the uncomfortable silence, he came up with the most obvious "You know what, I haven't had the chance to eat either. Let's have supper together, shall we?"

Beverly glanced away seemingly considering then nodded her assent, hoping that her appetite would come while eating.

They ate their meal in almost complete silence. He watched her wistfully, realizing how much he'd missed having breakfast with her in the last month. But he felt he had no other choice. The last thing he wanted was to knock into her special friend or to be turned down because of him. It was easier this way. At least, his pride remained unhurt by walking away in dignity...

She sighed, and he noticed that while he'd forgotten his gaze on her, she was watching him too. He suddenly felt really embarrassed again. He was just about to excuse himself, when she spoke up.

"Jean-Luc, would you stay for the night?" she asked simply, and as she didn't go into any details on what exactly she meant by 'staying for the night', he felt his cheeks suddenly burn from thoughts he knew he should have buried in that cell. In that cell, where she told him, she loved him! Oh, just stop this!

His lips turned upward in an embarrassed wince - which was intended to be a smile "Well... I'm not sure if that would be..."

She sighed a little impatiently and told him on a disillusioned voice "I don't mean to make you do things that you don't want to, Jean-Luc. You can sleep on the couch, or wherever you find comfortably distant from me. I... I just feel... terribly alone." she confessed on a small voice.

He watched her face a moment longer feeling his heart sink: she was embarrassed by her earlier confession! Did she regret her words too? Or was she simply in such a distress that she was not able to deal with their cat-and-mouse game right now? He sighed seeing her being so lost and lonely, and on impulse, simply took her hand in his "But you're not alone. I'm right here." he gave a gentle squeeze to her hand and then let it go as the tender touch awoke some more unbecoming thoughts in him... "Well, I'd need a shower too, if you don't mind."

"No, please, just go ahead."

He nodded and went to the bathroom.

When he came out again, wearing a newly replicated pair of shorts and undershirt to sleep in, he found that Beverly had already gone to the dimly lit bedroom. He needed to check if she was alright, so he went to stand in the doorway.

Seeing him, Beverly sat up and looked at him for a long moment with a soul-searching gaze. He felt his pulse quicken under it - and by seeing her in a thin nightgown in her bed... It was so intimate - he imagined it so many times, always a little differently... but reality was more enchanting then his imagination could ever have been.

At that, he stopped reprimanding himself for his guilty thoughts. She had been honest with him a few hours ago - he needed to be just as honest to her.

He walked to the bed and sitting on it, slid close to her. She looked at him surprised. Locking his gaze on hers, he raised his hand and gently swept her long hair back. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly tilting her head slightly backwards. He then leaned to her and kissed her upturned lips. She slid her arms around his neck as he traced her jawline with his thumb up to her ear. Then took his hand away to be able to wrap his arms around her and pulled her close to him deepening the tender kiss into a sensual one.

When he released her lips, they both were breathless and ready for more. But he slid a little backwards on the bed to put some distance between them and gently took her hands. He could tell that she was taken aback by his stopping, but he knew that this night was not theirs.

"If I believed in a deity, I could say that god can see my soul, how long I've been wanting this. Wanting you. And... how much I love you. Because I do love you too, Beverly. For a very long time." he shook his head with a wistful smile "Was there ever a doubt that I do." he mused almost only to himself. He cupped her cheek tenderly, and she leaned into his coveted touch as he went on on a hushed voice "But tonight. You don't need a lover. You don't need the love of a man. You need the love of a friend, Beverly. So let me be the best friend that a man in love can possibly be."

She bowed her head, and her eyes glistened from tears once again. He slid close to her again "Come here!" he whispered, and she cuddled into him and let her tears fall. All the stress of the day, all the pain of their imprisonment, all the worry she felt for Emma poured out of her under his gentle words of an ever-faithful love. It was somehow so climactic to sob into his shoulder, inhaling his clean scent with every ragged breath she was taking, that it almost bordered on pleasure. He gently made themselves lie on the bed and stroked her hair whispering soothing words for her until she quieted, and finally, they both fell into an exhausted sleep.


	40. Chapter 40

Data walked into his lab deep in thought, and as he spot Doctor Maddox looking at the schematics of his neural net on one of the console monitors, he had to fight off a wave of fear. His hand tightened into a fist, and he steeled himself for the procedure he was determined to go along with. Maybe he should have brought Geordi along, he thought but then reprimanded himself for being selfish again. It would hurt Geordi to watch this! No, he had to do this alone!

Maddox turned to him hearing the sound of the closing door and greeted him with a welcoming smile "Data, please come in."

"Doctor." he nodded in greeting and stepped up to where Maddox was standing at the blinking consoles. His eyes wandered to the screen that Maddox had been studying. It showed his neural net around his emotion-chip - and there were marks where to sever the connections leading to it. Seeing that, Data felt a sensation he could only describe as his heart sinking. If he had to determine its current location, he felt it was around the level of his toes now...

Maddox could see his silent distress and decided to come forward with his earlier offer once again. "You know that we do not have to do this." he told the android on a hushed voice "I can postpone the procedure. It would give you more time to think about my offer... Alternatively, you could even accept my helping hand."

Data turned to him, and Maddox was surprised to see him so determined. But before Data could reply, the door opened, and Geordi walked in with an expectant expression on his face.

"Good evening, gentlemen!" he called from the door "I'm sorry, I'm a bit late, but the point is that I'm here, right?" he asked with a humour he did not feel as he walked up to where they were standing.

"Geordi. I do not recall ever calling you to attend this procedure." Data remarked eyeing his friend suspiciously.

Geordi snorted "Well, you didn't." he agreed dryly "Despite my offer that I'd come, you didn't." he shrugged and walked over to the console, ignoring Maddox' suddenly irritated gaze. He pretended to study what he saw on screen and went on on a seemingly carefree voice "Lucky, that your best friend is the Chief Engineer, and he has the access right to program the computer to let him know, if you and Doctor Maddox are in the same room alone. Right?" he turned back to his friend with a challenging look.

Data felt cornered, and had no wish to argue about this any further. If Geordi wanted to stay, he could stay. He looked at Maddox "We may commence, Doctor."

To Geordi's surprise, Maddox became agitated at this, almost as if he was in panic "Data! Haven't you heard what I just told you?! I could postpone this! If you agreed to my offer, I could... I could help you! Haven't you thought about it?!"

"Yes, I did think about it, Doctor. And decided against accepting it." Data told him on a silent voice.

"What is going on here?" Geordi stepped next to his friend frowning "What kind of an offer is he talking about, Data?" he asked but knew he wouldn't like whatever reply he'd get for the question.

Maddox glared at him with blazing eyes "None of your concerns!" then looked at Data pleading "We could mutually help each other! I could make up an excuse why the chip cannot be removed, and I COULD give you my official scientific opinion clearly stating that your emotion-chip DOES NOT effect your performance as a Starfleet officer! As it would be coming from the foremost authority of the Daystrom Institute Cybernetics Division, any court martial officer would have to accept it!"

Geordi gaped stunned then frowned irritated "If you can do this, just why DON'T you do it?!" he demanded.

Data answered instead of Maddox "Because it would be a lie." he gazed only into the cyberneticist's panic stricken eyes "It would involve a huge risk for him to lose his prestige as a scientist. Doctor Maddox is willing to take that risk only if he could gain something in return... Lore, to be specific." he explained on a colourless tone, almost as if the procedure had already deprived him of emotions.

Geordi couldn't utter a word at that, while Maddox went on on an imploring voice "Data! What would it take you to give a murderer psychopath to me in exchange for your emotions?! Lore would not be thinking twice in your place! And I promised you! I wouldn't do anything that could damage it in any fashion. I just need a guide in my research!"

"That is blackmail!" Geordi exclaimed upset "Data is not giving up his brother EXACTLY because he is NOT his brother! How can you make him choose between family and his own emotions?! And you're trying to make us believe that you've changed since you last wanted to dissect Data?!"

"That android is NOT Data's brother! That's ridiculous even to utter! That's only the result of an experiment of Doctor Soong, gone wrong! Lore is not sentient! Not even alive! Using that android body for my research would be no bigger a blasphemy than to use the body of a dead organic being as an organ donor!" his voice rose with his growing desperation.

"Lore is only deactivated, not dead!" Geordi shouted back "Would you be so unscrupulous to use a coma patient as an organ donor?!"

That hit too close home for Data "That is ENOUGH! STOP IT! Both of you!" he shouted, and the two men looked at him shocked not having heard him raising his voice ever in their lives. His eyes seemed desperate but spoke of an unbreakable resolve "This is my life! My decision! And the sentience or the present condition of Lore has nothing to do with it! I want to go along with this procedure because it is RIGHT! Because I endanger the people who are going on a mission with me, if my processing capacity is halved by having emotions! And I do not wish to live with the guilt of letting people get injured because of THAT! The court-martial made the decision to deprive me of my emotion-chip during missions, BECAUSE I achieved my rank and the responsibility coming with it WITHOUT emotions! And I had to pay a bitter price to realize just how RIGHT that ruling was! The woman who means the most to me is suffering because of it." he slouched letting out a painful breath "I cannot make it right for her... but if I can help it, no one else would suffer the same way ever again." he looked into the eyes of a Maddox standing there clearly devastated "So please, Doctor. Just do whatever you need to do. And stop... tormenting me with such an offer..." he asked finally on a silent voice.

It took Maddox a long moment to concede to his defeat. Once he could swallow his rage and disappointment, he could at least try to cover his emotions. He tapped the panels in silence for a good few moments seemingly without any aim before he finally started to explain the procedure on a hollow voice.

"Alright, Data... Let us see... One of the most important aspects was to enable you to both remove and reinstate the chip quickly and at the same time, safely. I figured that the most convenient place would be near the spot, where Doctor Soong originally designed it, but a little closer to your main processor: at the back of your neck. You could reach it easily, and also anyone who would help you in any kind of maintenance task could access it just as freely. I wouldn't use a classic service door for it, instead, I'd use a small holographic device that could project a portion of the bioplast sheathing above the service opening. This holographic door would disappear only if the fingerprint of certain individuals touched it. Yourself of course and anyone whom you choose to be qualified enough to do maintenance on you... Commander La Forge would be one of them I suppose." that was the first time he looked at Data, and the android nodded.

"And yourself, Doctor." he added.

Maddox nodded and Geordi had the creepiest feeling that he was not at all grateful for Data's implicit trust. Just because he didn't go along with your blackmail? You son-of-a... he growled silently before trying to pay attention to Maddox again.

"Inside the opening, apart from the chip itself, there will be a button. Pressing it, it would terminate all processes and services of the chip and also seal all incoming and outgoing connections to it. In addition, it would stop the monitoring of the chip. Afterwards, it will be safe to remove it."

Geordi viewed the schematics with a thoughtful frown "So once the monitoring is stopped, Data wouldn't - in lack of a better term - sense whether the chip is still inside or not? That's rather weird."

"Basically, yes. After that, only his tactile input will help him determine that: he can touch it with his fingers. This process works much the same way as the disconnection process of any other limb or body part does, when it gets removed. I used Doctor Soong's original designs as a point to start from, there's nothing weird in any of this... Besides, using the button is a convenient way to turn the chip off without removing it - the way you originally implemented it."

Geordi nodded bemused crossing his arms "Yeah, but the switch that I used, did not hung up the chip's monitoring."

"Yes. But that feature was necessary due to the fact that the court martial ruling is not met by simply turning the chip off. It needs to be removed completely. And as such, all connections, including monitoring has to be terminated." Maddox explained. His voice was now professional. No sign of any grudge or desperation. Only his field of science.

Geordi unfolded his arms "What about reinstating it? Does he have to push a button then too?"

"No. Sinking the chip back to its slot automatically activates all relating services and starts all the processes needed for its operation. I estimate it'll take around half a second for the reinstating algorithms to run. Not more than that."

Geordi nodded and tried not to look very appreciatively. This man knew his field - if only he wasn't the psychopath he was...

Maddox finally looked at Data "If you're satisfied with the design, we may proceed."

Data only nodded silently in response and sat down on a chair to be hooked up to the computer.

* * *

In two hours time, the three men were travelling in a turbolift to go to their respective quarters. There was an uncomfortable silence. With the concentration to the procedure over, Maddox again seemed to become very upset. He refused to look at either of them, and Geordi didn't feel like small-talking nor making any kind of meaningful conversation with Data with that butcher of a cyberneticist around. Finally, the doctor's stop was coming up, so Maddox curtly nodded to them and left without as much as a 'good night'. Geordi just grimaced at it bemused - he even dared be disappointed! For what it was worth, he should have been glad, Data didn't report about his offer to the Captain or the Daystrom Institute!

Their stop came up, and they started to walk the corridor in silence. Geordi tried to think of something to talk about as he glanced over to Data who seemed really depressed. He was frighteningly silent throughout the procedure and before that, in Engineering too, and Geordi knew that with Data, silence was never a good sign. But now... all the events of the last two days were written all over his face. Geordi had to admit, he started to feel awfully worried about his best friend.

"You know..." he started thoughtfully "Whatever just took place, you know I don't agree with any part of it, but.."

Data sighed almost as if he had the ability to get tired "I know, Geordi."

Geordi stopped and looked into his eyes "Nevertheless, it was the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone to go along with." Data then frowned cocking his head confused as he went on "It must have been unimaginably hard to give up something you wanted all your life! Even if only partially. I couldn't even picture how I'd feel, if I was told not to use my eye-implants just because they are different than human eyes... You're brave to face all this, my friend! You have to know that despite my misgivings about this... I'm proud of you and... I suppose when Emma... hears about this, she'll be proud of you too!"

A small smile ran over Data's face turning into bitterness "She'll be... - to use a vernacular - breathing fire once she hears about this." Geordi couldn't help but chuckled, and Data allowed himself to join him for a second too. He then looked at his friend with a serious expression "She was very upset about the ruling, and because of the fact that she felt, I did not stand up for myself." Data turned his gaze away for a moment before going on "In all honesty, I'm not brave, Geordi! I did it exactly because I'm a coward." he consciously pulled his shoulders up a little "Giving up the emotion-chip partially is not half as frightening as giving up my life on the Enterprise - or giving up the possibility of a future together with Emma here." he shook his head almost ashamed "I simply chose the option less terrifying."

Geordi sighed and patted his friend on the shoulder "And who could blame you for that?" they locked gazes again "The less terrifying option here would creep out even the Captain or Commander Riker... And I suppose Emma knows that too, it's only that it hurts her to see you hurt."

Data nodded "I know..." he breathed on a soft voice.

They stopped at the aft turbolift "Are you going to her now?" Geordi asked emphatically.

Data shook his head "I cannot visit her. Doctor Crusher doesn't let anybody near her as long as her husband is on board." he replied forlornly.

"I see..." Geordi studied his friend's face and finally came forward with the thought that he had on his mind ever since they left the lab "Data... now that you have the ability. Wouldn't you want to... turn the chip off for a little while? I-I mean... humans have the possibility to sleep even in the most distressed of times. We can rest our souls then at least for a few hours. You do not have that possibility... Now, that you have that button that Maddox gave you, maybe you could..."

"No, Geordi!" Data shook his head firmly "I will keep to what the court martial ruled, but I will NOT use a legal decision as a means to escape. I will not run from the pain or the remorse or... the craving for her..." his voice broke, but no tears formed in his eyes, and on a background processing thread, he wondered how his voice simulation could be affected by his emotions in this very human fashion. He locked his now desperate gaze with Geordi's concerned one "It wouldn't be right." he whispered.

Geordi sighed heavily, and he spread his arms "So then we'll have to deal with all this the way we had in the last two years, right?" he looked at his friend with a small smile "What do you say to a drink at Ten Forward? The night is almost over anyways, there would be no point for me to go to sleep now."

Data felt grateful for his friend's care. Yes, there were long nights they'd talked through when all his emotions were so new and overwhelming, and he had no idea how to deal with them. Geordi would then help him through those difficult periods. He nodded with a tiny smile "That would be most comforting. I accept your offer, Geordi."

The Chief Engineer nodded with a smile, and they stepped into the turbolift.


	41. Chapter 41

Deanna was tossing and turning in her sleep before waking up drenched in sweat. She sat up gasping for breath.

"Oh, god..." she panted wiping the hair out of her face, where it clang to her wet skin.

The dream was nothing that she could put into words. It was more like a sensation of darkness growing all around her, swallowing her. And she just couldn't escape. Couldn't cry for help. She was engulfed by cold fear.

Just the way she felt on looking into the eyes of Premier Jones.

She got up from her bed and after a shower that eased her tensed up muscles, she went to her living room to have a tea. Nursing her cup in the security of her dimly lit quarters, she felt to be distanced enough from the experience to be able to try to make something out of this whole. She recalled how Jones' gaze attracted hers, when he was about to leave Sickbay. It was ice-cold but strangely familiar. What was this? She shook her head slightly. It wasn't that THAT was the only thing she sensed from the man. She was emphatically aware of him just the same as with everybody else! She could actually feel his anger about the fact that Beverly didn't let him see his wife. Or the contempt he felt for Data... No, it was as if she was reading an ordinary human - whose mind could pull her down into a dark abyss of pure evil. - Was it only because she had preconceptions based on the diabolic description Emma had given her about him? Or was it something else... She pictured his gaze again and felt the darkness enveloping her! Right here! In the security of her room!

She put down her cup and stood. Something was terribly out of place here! And it was surely more than simple preconception of a man described as a bad person by his wife! She needed to find out what it was!

By the time Data arrived on the Bridge, she'd been sitting at one of the science consoles for over two hours.

"Counsellor." he stepped next to her surprised to see her there so early - he knew she'd had the evening shift the day before.

She looked up startled and lay her lower arm down on the console as she turned to him with a tired smile "Data. Are you doing the alpha shift today? I thought Commander Riker will be on duty."

He shook his head "No, Counsellor. I'm not here to do a shift. I am to attend the briefing of the Admiral, commencing in fifteen minutes in the Observation Lounge."

She nodded "I see." The computer chirped, so she turned back to the console screen and went on reading the output of her LCARS search query.

Data took a step closer, and it was enough to read a few lines to know what - whom - she was researching "You're querying files on Premier Jones."

Deanna nodded "I'm trying to find all that I'm able so that maybe a peculiarity might emerge."

"I understand." he nodded and then cocked his head "How have you advanced so far?"

She sighed and shook her head "I've only covered his early years yet." she pushed a button, and Jones' birth certificate appeared. "According to the Office of Global Registry of Planet Earth, his birth place is Paris. So I'm trying to follow his life events from there. But there are some gray spots. I know he'd been studying law at the University of Bordeaux, but then it seems that he dropped out due to some sort of an illness, not specified here. Before that, he attended a boarding school, but before the age of five..." she shook her head "I cannot seem to find anything." she looked at him lost "It might be not important, just some glitch in the databanks. Still it's just strange that so many pieces of information are missing. I've did researches previously several times, but I've never had such difficulty in finding out ALL that is possible about a man. It's as if some of his records were completely missing."

"Have you cross-checked with colony records?" he asked sitting next to her now really curious.

"I haven't actually. I was thinking that if he was born in Paris and went to school there at an early age, he probably was raised on Earth as well." she shrugged lost.

He turned his palm up consciously "Maybe it is worth a try." at her disappointed expression he gave her a tiny smile "Let me check, Counsellor, maybe I can make the databases be... more talkative." Data offered leaning above the keyboard. Deanna smiled as she watched him typing his queries at an awesome speed.

Ten minutes later however, Data was sitting just as perplexed as Deanna had been before. "Most peculiar." he mumbled, and Deanna nodded her assent, when they suddenly heard Captain Picard from behind them.

"What are you so wrapped up in?" he asked with a questioning frown, and Deanna - who was still tensed up from her night terrors - sucked in a startled breath.

"Captain..."

"Uh, sorry, Counsellor, I didn't mean to scare you." he apologized surprised at her being so jumpy.

"It's alright, Captain." she smiled "Actually, we are researching Premier Jones."

"Oh." Picard raised his eyebrows even more surprised.

Data went on to explain "It is possible to follow the events in his life based on the records of the global databases of Earth. However, there are missing time periods. For instance, we do have his birth certificate, but we found nothing about the time between his birth and the age of five. We tried several databases including ones belonging to colonies AND the Federation in general. Even people who live in human colonies or other Federation planets should be possible to be traced in them. But..." he shook his head pursing his lips.

Picard nodded "Well, let me check something!" he asked and leaned over them to reach the keyboard.

After a few key presses and two minutes of querying, the screen was flashing with the label 'Aucun Résultat'. Picard crossed his arms "Hmm... Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"What does that mean, Sir?" Deanna asked confused about the French text desplayed, and Picard explained.

"The Bureau de l'état Civil is the local registry office of the French region. It's located in the metropolitan area of Paris."

"I thought all Earth registry records are handled in the Global Registry, Sir." Data remarked with a confused frown.

"Hmm, yes, Data, but French people like to handle their own records, just to be on the safe side." Picard told them with a pride Deanna knew she would have felt from a hundred light years.

Data on the other hand was not so empathic "To follow the long living tradition of bureaucracy as I understand, Sir." he mused thoughtfully and not noticing Picard's frown he went on "Indeed I've read several accounts of travellers from other regions of Earth, speaking of a system characterized by time-wasting, undisguised obstruction of officials and an exceeding amount of documentation originating from administrations, which often overlap each other." he recalled his memories almost as if he was reading them out.

Picard watched him with a bemusedly raised eyebrow, pursed lips and tightly crossed arms. He patiently waited for Data to finish the inadvertent bashing of his homeland and then explained on a slightly lecturing voice "In our case, Mr. Data, the exceeding amount of documentation is most fortunate." he pointed to the screen "Jones' birth certificate cannot be found in the French registry, and if you cannot be found there, whatever your birth certificate say, you were NOT born in France."

Deanna looked at them intrigued (and a little amused), and Data, ignoring Picard's slightly hurtful tone, started to type some more queries in the same local database. They watched the results now curious "But he does have records here from the age of five." he declared.

"Those records correlate with our findings, Sir." Deanna said excited.

"Every year, a Census is taking place in France." Picard explained pointing to the results "He missed the first four. We can safely deduct, that he first came to France at the age of five. And not a minute sooner." he then looked at them bemused "Which is all very interesting, but we do know that the man is a fraud. So in all honesty, I'm not sure how this new piece of information might help us."

Deanna looked up at him still not discouraged "I want to collect all available data, Sir. Once we see the whole picture, we might find something of use!"

Picard nodded and touched her shoulder appreciative of her tenacity "Proceed, Counsellor. You have my whole-hearted blessing!" She nodded smiling, and he looked at Data "Commander." he tilted his head toward the Observation Lounge.

Data stood with a heavy heart and followed the Captain.

* * *

The Observation Lounge was still empty when they stepped in, and Picard stood next to one of the tall windows to look out. Data walked up to him and fixed his gaze on the planet below. It seemed oddly restful to watch the blue and white swirls of the atmosphere after experiencing as a blood-chilling experience as they had in the mines. He felt startled, when he heard the Captain's voice:

"Data, I'm sorry I had no time to find you and talk to you about the events on the planet." Picard began, and Data looked at him with a blank expression.

"It is alright, Captain. You were treated in Sickbay, and I had business to attend to."

Picard turned to him fully and looked at him with a troubled frown "What DID happen down there, Data? Did you really encounter Romulans?"

Data gave him a firm nod and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could go on, the entrance doors slid aside to reveal Juliana, closely followed by Admiral McKinnley - and Premier Jones. Juliana crossed to her son, and Data locked his gaze with hers for a long moment before looking at Jones with a hint of surprise on his otherwise dispassionate face.

And surprise was an emotion that the Captain couldn't help but shared. He stepped forward putting his hand on the back of a chair.

"Admiral, I thought this would be strictly a Starfleet mission briefing. I don't think a civilian like Premier Jones..."

But the Admiral raised his hand to silence him "Back off, Picard! Whatever we're about to discuss here concerns Premier Jones more than anybody. As he is willing to answer all our questions, I believe it's fair to invite him." he motioned with his hand to all of them "Take a seat!"

They all sat down: the admiral at the head of the table, with Jones on one side and Picard at the other. Data sat next to him, and Juliana sat next to her son, almost as if they formed two fronts of a war-zone with the long table in between as the trench.

The Admiral put his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers "As you can see, all who was involved in your little private investigation is here now, except for Lieutenant Jones and Doctor Crusher who asked me to allow her to skip the briefing to attend to the Lieutenant. I whole-heartedly accepted her request, and I hope that Ms. Jones will make a speedy recovery." his words came one after the other almost as if he was reading a piece of tedious legal document.

Data watched Jones' face and frowned seeing a truthfully heartbroken expression turning into a defiant one as if he was fighting his emotions, and suddenly, found himself not entirely sure whether the feelings he displayed were just part of the game, or in fact, true. Then he heard Emma's voice in his head almost as clearly as he would if she'd been there: you're so naive, Deadpan! Of course, he's just playing! - and he decided to go with her opinion instead of trusting his gullibility.

"Thank you, Admiral!" Jones nodded seemingly grateful but grabbed at the opportunity "If I could see her, it would surely help in improving her condition! The presence of loved ones always does!"

At that however, Data's hands came up into fists as he felt as if his biochemical lubricants suddenly overheated merely by hearing such words. He acknowledged that the unsettling sensation might have been similar to what humans described as their blood boil! Strangely enough, it seemed the Admiral did not grant Jones' wishes this time!

"I empathize with your need to be near your wife, but as we have discussed yesterday, Premier, I trust Doctor Crusher's opinion. She is an exceptional medical officer, and if she judges that Ms. Jones cannot be visited, I strongly support abiding by her medical advice."

Jones seemed to withdraw with a bemused expression, and the Admiral turned to Picard. "Let's discuss what we're here for! Whose idea was it to conduct an investigation without my knowledge or approval?" he asked now on a hard voice, his lips were so pursed, they became a straight line.

"Mine, Admiral." the Captain admitted on a low, still firm voice, but before he could go on, the Admiral cut in and didn't let him speak freely.

"Was Ms. Jones' running away a stage-act to conduct this outrageous breach of regulations?"

Picard shook his head "No, Sir. We set out to find her, just as we told you."

"Stop prevaricating, Picard!" the Admiral snapped "I want to know what happened between the time Ms. Jones ran out of the door of the Residence and the time we found you with Doctor Crusher in a detention cell!"

"We met a person, Admiral, who shared information with us severely incriminating mainly Premier Jones, and in general, the government of Epsilon Four. He also accompanied Commander Data's team to the mines and witnessed all that took place there." the Captain answered on an enviably calm voice.

Jones gaped at him bewildered - Data still couldn't decide whether he was just stage-acting his surprise - and the Admiral raised an eyebrow at this.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Admiral. And I believe we can give him a chance to tell all that he knows here, personally to you too. Especially, that civilians are welcome to this meeting." Picard told him challengingly, and having been cornered, the Admiral conceded with a bemused grimace on his face. It actually started to seem, that the old man - though having personal aversions against the Captain and the Enterprise crew - wanted a real investigation here. He was a Starfleet Admiral after all, the Captain mused.

While waiting, Data looked over to his mother and saw that Juliana sat there seemingly scared. It was quite plain that there was no way to tell the whole story without mentioning Earl. But would they be able to protect him, if he became so involved? There was little time to consider the viable options for this, because the door opened, and Earl stepped over the threshold.

All eyes were fixed on him as he stood there with a straight back and undaunted expression.

The Captain stood and motioned for him to come in "With your permission, Admiral, this is Mr. Earl Mils. He ensured me that he is willing to do a testimony on what he knows about the Epsilonian government's dealings at any legal Federation hearing. If we wish him to."

Earl stepped in "Good morning, gentlemen!" he simply said looking at the Admiral who eyed him somewhat suspiciously. Earl finally rested his gaze on Jones. The younger man glared at him with blazing eyes apparently furious.

"This is outrageous, Admiral!" Jones exclaimed "This man is NOT a simple Epsilonian! He is the leader of the Resistance! An illegal organization wishing to overturn the government by force, through blood and violence! He is a convicted criminal on Epsilon Four, personally responsible for the deaths of several dozen people!"

The Admiral looked from him to Earl then back at him again, and after a moment of consideration, he told Jones on a flat tone "I see... Well, if that is true, I understand your reservations, Premier, moreover, I partly share them. However, as long as he is not a criminal under Federation law, the rules require me to hear him out! Premier, you will have your chance to answer and ask questions, because you're a valuable witness in this case. We are merely listening to another such witness."

Jones seemed only milliseconds away from blowing up.

Earl eyed him with a cold expression then a fleeting smile ran over his face "Well... if we are all over our first shocks, I'd take a seat." he even patted the shoulder of the Premier and then sat down at the far end of the table, opposite the Admiral. Picard watched him appreciatively - the old man seemed to have nerves! Earl then steepled his fingers the way the Admiral had just a few minutes ago.

"How did you get involved with the away-team?" the Admiral asked.

"Ms. Tainer, Mr. Picard, Mr. Data and Doctor Crusher were all brought to me by Emma Jones two days ago. I told them about the stories that once-prisoners told me about seeing aliens in the mines, where they were doing forced labor." he turned his gaze to Jones at this who cut in indignant at the words:

"We do NOT have forced labor on Epsilon Four!" he declared.

Juliana gaped at such an outright lie "We DID see them just yesterday in the mines! And you dare deny it?!" she looked around at Data and Earl "We all were there and saw everything!"

Jones looked around and seeing the suspicion growing in the Admiral's gaze as the old man watched him, he realized he needed a change of tactics. He suddenly seemed to have calmed as he sat back in his seat "What you saw, my dear Juliana were public-workers." he replied on a unemotional voice.

"Excuse me?!" Earl gaped disbelievingly.

Jones turned up his palms "Or did you see workers in the deep mine shafts where you, by the way, illegally trespassed?... Hmm..." he chuckled seeing their unsure expressions and shrugged "No, of course, you did not." he then leaned forward and explained on his most professional voice "Prisoners were forced to work ten thousand meters deep in conditions that are unspeakable, before I took over the Premiership. I was the one to replace human workforce with machinery there. People work only in the shallow shafts to mine the shallow deposits of dilithium. Yes, the conditions are harsh, I admit. However, at least, they can make a living from the money they make."

"This is bullshit!" Earl exclaimed "Not one person is allowed to leave once they are brought to the mines! That is by definition forced labour!" he simply could not believe that Jones would deny something as evident as this! It was too much, even from him!

Jones shrugged and steepled his fingers mirroring Earl's earlier gesture of confidence "Miners that you saw sign an annual contract. It is in that contract that nobody is to leave before the contractual term ends, and presently on Epsilon Four, there are no rules or laws to regulate the health conditions of the employees or the general working conditions in mines. I know it seems cruel. It IS cruel. By no means, do I agree with any of this, for this is capitalism at its WORST! However, the current laws of Epsilon Four allow it to happen, because the laws of Earth in the twenty-first century did at some countries too. I didn't vote for such a law, but I have no choice but to abide by it. As I've mentioned several times, for a change to happen, I would need greater support in the government. As you all are well aware, I'm endeavouring to achieve that at present." he looked at the Admiral with an honest expression "You see, Admiral, the Resistance tries to do all that they can to implicate me and undermine my reputation. Mils is doing this mostly for personal reasons for he's been holding a grudge against me ever since we've known each other. Just imagine how unscrupulous a man needs to be to create chaos on a planet at the verge of a revolution just to settle his personal conflicts! But his organization is no better than he is! Though the goals of the Resistance itself might not be so far away from my own, because they want change just as I do, the difference is that, for them, the ends justify the means. For me, they never can!"

When he finally finished, there was a stunned silence in the room. Data and Juliana felt as if there were suddenly two dimensions of the truth! One they actually witnessed with their very eyes on the planet, and one that could have been an interpretation of what they saw. It was a massively disorienting feeling, and they looked at each other suddenly unsure of everything they thought of as carved in stone. Data looked over to the Captain who sat there seemingly just as troubled as they were.

Picard couldn't stop thinking about what Emma had told him in the brig, when she was begging him so desperately not to have any dealings with her husband: _"You don't know him Captain Picard. It's like playing a blind game of chess, without knowing his steps or even what your own steps would bring on your head. You don't know what he's capable of."_ \- He answered that she was forgetting that her husband wasn't the only one good at playing games. But were they able to fight somebody who took words, ripped the very heart of their meaning out, then used the corpse as an excuse for his actions? He fixed his gaze on Jones determined: they needed to try!

Before the Captain had a chance to speak up however, the silence was suddenly broken by the unsettling sound of Earl's chuckle.

"Hmm... I should have expected that you'd talk yourself out of anything." he nodded knowingly "How convenient that those nasty laws that cruel Hague implemented are still in effect, isn't it Edmond?" he asked looking into the younger man's eyes.

Jones shook his head seemingly confused "I'm not sure how would any of this be convenient for me, now that I have to explain myself for the faults of my predecessor."

Picard leaned forward in his chair and caught his eyes "Apparently, Mr. Jones, the repercussions of those faults are still widely palpable on your planet! Despite what you claimed that there are no political prisoners on Epsilon Four, Doctor Crusher and I were detained, because we were mistaken for members of the Resistance. We did nothing against the law, and the authorities made no secret about the fact that we got arrested solely because of political reasons. And don't ask me to elaborate on the treatment we received in that facility we were taken to! Despite what you stated in the very first hour of our meeting!"

Jones turned up his palms apologetically "I'm terribly sorry for what you had to endure, Captain Picard, however, I have to refute you. There ARE no political based arrests, YOU were NOT detained for political reasons either! As far as I'm aware, you were arrested because you collaborated in the defacement of a billboard. Under Epsilonian law, that is considered vandalism, which is a prosecuted crime on the planet."

Picard gaped disbelievingly - Jones' reply bordered on cynicism "We did nothing of the kind! Doctor Crusher and I simply defended a young boy, who overwrote a propagandistic political slogan, and for this reason got beaten up by several street thugs."

Jones shook his head "That's most unfortunate, Captain, still. If you accompanied a boy who had committed a crime, it is standard procedure that you got arrested by the authorities. According to Epsilonian law, whether you actually participated in any kind of illegal activity or only witnessed somebody committing one, is determined later on during the investigation."

"An investigation conducted by the use of torture! How can you call that a democratic regime?!" Picard demanded.

Jones seemed sincerely shaken by that. He sighed with a troubled frown "As I've told you, Captain, I'm very sorry for what you and Beverly had to go through." he told them on a low voice full of remorse "And no, by all means, Epsilon Four is not a democratic regime. Yet!" he looked into the eyes of the Captain, then the Admiral as he started to explain "I'm doing all I can to turn it into one. However, we are only at the beginning of the road. There is an instinctual way to the reactions of people who lived under a dictatorship for a long period of time. They will become wary of strangers and everything that seems out of the ordinary. They almost manically cling to order - or what they believe order is. What you had to suffer last night was the product of that instinctual behaviour. No matter that the government passed a law that torture cannot be used as an investigative method. A law is easy to change. The way people act, or think, the system itself... That is hard to change. However, I am determined to finish what I have started. That is the reason I'm here and listening to your accusations and answering all questions you ask me."

The Captain had to admit, he was taken aback by the Premier's reasoning. Or more like about the way he felt that there was truth in his words... It was spine-chilling! He looked over to his right and saw that he was not the only one who was made upset by Jones' explanations. This time, it was Juliana who spoke up infuriated "So then answer this, Mr. Jones! How could we have found Romulans in your mines? How can you be trading with them WITHIN Federation territory? You can explain how your laws are wrong or how the people are hard to change. But THIS is your making! And your making alone!"

"Romulans?!" the Admiral looked at Jones with wide eyes then turning back to the officers "Do you know anything about this Picard?!" he demanded.

"Just as much as you do, Admiral. After listening to all that Mr. Mils had to say, we decided to carry out an investigation before going to you with our hunches. So Commander Data, Lieutenant Jones, Doctor Tainer and Mr. Mils went to the mines to look for hard evidence."

The Admiral growled bemused "While you were trying to mislead your superior about your whereabouts. Don't get illusions Picard! I will not overlook that little detail!" then without waiting for the Captain' reaction, turned to Data "What was it that you found exactly?"

Data looked into his eyes with his calm gaze and started to explain "We did discover alien machinery in the deep shafts, over ten thousand meters deep, in the dilithium mines in the Ridgeback Mountains not far away from Ethel city. Just after finishing our scans, as we were about to leave, Mr. Jones arrived there too. With him came five Romulan soldiers and Commander Sela. They seemed to have had a well-set-up business going on for at least months."

Juliana cut in "Those machines cannot be installed and set up in less than six months! So they must have had dealings for an even longer time than that!"

"Do you have any proof of all that you've found?" the Admiral asked looking at Data with a hard expression.

The android nodded "I have my recordings of Premier Jones and Commander Sela's conversations. And also we have tricorder readings of what we've found down there."

All eyes became fixed on Jones again, who sat there with an unreadable expression. The Admiral turned to him shocked at these news.

"Premier, do you have anything to refute these accusations?" he asked on a low voice seemingly very uncomfortable by this turn of events.

Jones then turned his palms up with mild surprise on his face "REFUTE them? Why would I refute the obvious?" They all gaped at him wide eyed, and he went on barely covering his satisfied smile "Admiral, I never denied having ongoing relations to other species. I've told you the very first time we started our cooperation! I want to bring Epsilon Four out of isolation!"

"But the Romulans are the enemies of the Federation!" the Admiral cut in now clearly upset himself.

Jones leaned forward and started to explain patiently "Admiral McKinnley, I understand that. However, Epsilon Four is currently not part of the Federation of Planets. We are independent. Of course, it is our goal to be a member planet again, but as I understand there is much work ahead of us to be qualified for that. Hence, I'm not bound by any treaty or legal settlement that the Federation signed with any race. Of course, if it's required of us, we can break all communications with the Romulans, but you have to understand that that would have grave consequences on the present state of our economy, meaning that in exchange, the Federation would have to heavily assist us. Right at the moment, that is a hardly viable option because my people are overtly suspicious of everything involved with the Federation. Including Starfleet. And to impose any settlement forcefully on Epsilonians right at the moment... It's risky to say the least. So as you can see, it is a difficult and complex matter." he told them with a slight shrug.

Picard exchanged glances with Data and both men felt they could hardly believe their ears. As if he was an eel, he slipped out of their very hands only by his talent for wielding words! But at least, it seemed that despite the personal affinity the Admiral seemed to have had developed toward the Premier, it didn't affect the older man's judgement. He asked him on.

"But Premier! Epsilon Four is in Federation space! Romulans, who cross the Neutral Zone to visit your planet, breach the Treaty of Algeron! Therefore this setup of matters is completely unacceptable!"

Jones gave him a small apologetic smile "Admiral, as you are well aware, Epsilon Four is not a warp-capable culture. We come from one, BUT we do not have warp-capable ships. At our present stage of technology - the technology of the late 21st century - the farthest we can travel is the last planet of our solar system. We cannot enter Romulan space, NOR the Neutral Zone. As for the Romulans entering Federation space... I suppose it's obvious that Epsilon Four can do little about that. On the contrary, I believe the Federation is supposed to make Romulans abide by the Treaty that they signed. Certainly not us, who DID NOT sign that Treaty."

The Admiral grimaced visibly frustrated "I have to admit... that argument is hard to challenge. The Federation has no basis to call you to account for this. However, you also have to understand that Romulans impose a great threat to the Federation. Especially now, when we have the Dominion to deal with! We cannot afford to have several conflicts going on at the same time on more than one fronts! From now on, the Epsilon sector will be closely monitored! Whether you want it or not, your dealings with Romulans will cease."

Jones nodded "I understand. Please, do whatever you need to do. No grudges are held."

Earl shook his head slightly looking over to Juliana, who sat there visibly bewildered, while Data watched Jones as he talked himself out of all and every one of their charges and accusations dazed. Indeed, Emma kept repeating that they had no idea who they were up against. All of them, even he himself could not fully believe her, thinking that she was only exaggerating. And here they were full of incriminating evidence and confessions, and none of it meant a damn!

Jones seemed to have felt the android's eyes on him, because he looked into his eyes, and after a moment of holding his blank gaze with his own, he asked almost as if he wished to be challenged "Is there anything you wish to ask me, Mr. Data?"

Before long, Data leaned forward and never taking his penetrating gaze off of Jones told him "As a matter of fact, Mr. Jones, there is one thing you cannot say you cannot be held accountable for."

Jones leaned back in his chair almost giving the impression that he was relaxed: "Is that so?" he asked with a patronizing smirk.

"When we encountered you in the mines, you lethally threatened Lieutenant Jones, then tried to shoot Mr. Mils. The disruptor blast finally hit me. You also abandoned us in the mines, ten thousand kilometers underground, amidst a severe tectonic quake!" he stated on his most professional voice.

The Admiral stared at Jones wide-eyed for the second time that day, but the Captain was just as shocked to finally learn what had happened to Data and his team in the mines.

Oddly enough, Jones suddenly started to chuckle. Everybody looked at him as if he had lost his mind, and there was a palpable tension growing with every passing second in a room where the only sound was a might-be murderer's laugh. Finally, the Captain snapped at him:

"What do you find so funny in threatening my people?!"

Jones smiled at him and turned up his palms "It's only the mere insolence that that subordinate of yours displays." he shook his head slightly disbelievingly looking back at Data and snorted "Well, I'll take it as a joke, and overlook it as a simple personal grudge, if you take this back NOW."

The Admiral turned to him questioningly "Do you deny these charges?"

Jones chuckled again "Oh, no. I definitely, don't deny them." he looked into Data's eyes again seemingly trying to determine how he felt, but the android's expression remained emotionless. Jones leaned forward never taking his eyes off of Data "I definitely did all those things. The one small bit that your Commander forgets to mention is what happened BEFORE all those things." with that he loosened his collar and freed his neck from the tie he was wearing.

They gaped at what they saw: there were five fingermarks around Jones' neck visibly blue and black. He fixed his gaze on Data again "I was willing to forget about it, taking it for what it is." he told him on a hiss "A simple gesture of trying to get rid of the competition. But as you brought it up..."

"Our personal conflicts have nothing to do with this!" Data exclaimed finally showing his desperation.

"Nothing to do with it?! You, yourself explained to Sela just HOW motivated you are!" Jones shouted back.

And suddenly, the whole room blew up from several people yelling at each other at the same time.

Earl and Juliana tried to defend Data shouting that he simply tried to defend the ladies still in hiding by keeping Jones in check, Jones shouted his own arguments against their arguments, and the Admiral shouted for all of them to be quiet. The Captain just fixed his gaze on Data, who sat there now clearly ashamed of his deed. No matter that he knew that in that moment he had no other choice, still... he very rarely displayed any kind of violence. Especially not if it was not called for, and indeed, technically speaking, Jones was not directly threatening them in the moment he grabbed the man's neck.

Finally, from among the uproar, Jones' voice arose as he heatedly explained his actions, talking only to Data "...it was an attack impossible to be prepared for or escape! It was so quick, and the grip was so firm that no human could have withstood it! I did NOTHING that would have called for you to almost break my neck! I sent the guards to check around, merely because I wanted to see who else was there with you, TRESPASSING in my mines! You DARE accuse me of threatening my wife?! What other choice did I have?! I knew the only thing keeping you from killing me, if you get the chance, would be her! I would never have hurt her, I only wanted to get out of there alive! With her! But YOU prevented that too, because she went back only for YOU! And why did I shoot at Mils? I did NOT shoot at him, even if it would have been the most prudent thing to do, to kill the man who leads the most violent terrorist group on my planet! But actually, I shot YOU! Because there was no other way to make sure that you wouldn't attack me again! And here you are, sitting in front of me, unscathed after suffering a blow that would kill a mortal being - but not a machine! You dare accuse me of abandoning you?! What other choice did I have in that again?! Who knows what weapons or abilities you have that allow you to kill me from afar, without touching me? How could I have made sure that if I let you enter that lift, by the time we reach the top, we all would have been alive? Just by taking your word for it? Who knows what your intentions can be, even if you promise not to hurt me or anybody else? You are a machine! You may have the ability to speak and promises anything. But machines don't have a soul to have mercy or regrets that would bind you to keep your promise!"

Deadly silence weighed on the room as Data sat there shaken and humiliated by Jones' words. It slowly dawned on him that he no longer had the ability to tell the truth apart from Jones' interpretation, and started to doubt his own memories and with them, himself as well. A tremor ran through him as he heard the Admiral's silent voice:

"Mr. Data, do you have anything to say in your defence?" the old man asked on a strangely silent voice.

Data looked him in the eye, and the Admiral was hit by the innocence his gaze displayed "I only wanted to protect Emma and my mother." he told them on a soft, silent voice "They were still in hiding. Premier Jones ordered the Romulan soldiers to look around for others." he shook his head helplessly "I couldn't let the Romulans find them! Yes, I admit, had I more time, I might have found another, more efficient avenue to protect them. But in that moment, blackmailing the Romulans with the Premier's life seemed the only option that did NOT involve killing or causing serious injury to anybody, AND would stop the Romulans from looking for my mother and Emma. I did NOT intend to kill anybody. No matter how motivated I said I was."

But Jones didn't back off this time! He glared at the Admiral bewildered "You'll let him go with this EXCUSE?! Look at my neck! Does this seem like he had NO intention of killing me?!" he asked again showing around his dark bruises.

The old man raised a dismissive hand without looking at him: "Premier Jones, let ME make my decisions after hearing all the involved parties. Mr. Mils, you were there and witnessed all of this."

Earl took a breath to answer, but Jones cut in "This is outrageous! Mils is not unbiased! He is a convicted criminal and my personal opponent, having been always against my relationship with my wife! How can you take his word in a matter concerning MY truthfulness?!"

The Admiral frowned irritated "Premier Jones, as I've mentioned, I want to hear out all that have witnessed what took place in the mines." he rasped "Mr. Mils, please tell us what you saw."

Earl shook his head indignant "Data never wanted to kill this man. If I was in his place, I would have wanted to, but Data only wanted to protect Em and Juliana. He let Jones go instantly, when he made sure that the ladies will not be harmed. In fact, Jones used that very opportunity to grab hold of Emma and shoot at ME and THEN at Mr. Data. He wanted to kill me, Mr. Data saved my life by taking the blast. Don't be mistaken Admiral! Jones is the real criminal here! HE is the murderer, not me or Mr. Data."

The Admiral again raised his hand indicating that he was not interested in personal opinions "I understand that you developed a certain rapport with Commander Data, Mr. Mils, however, I only need to know the facts. Did Premier Jones do anything that could have been considered as a direct threat against Commander Data, you or the ladies with you? Did he attack you? Shoot at you? At least pointed a gun towards you?"

Earl had to shake his head at this "No, but the Romulans did have guns!"

"I understand Mr. Mils, however, Mr. Data DID NOT attack a Romulan. He attacked Mr. Jones." he looked over to Juliana "Ms. Tainer, is there anything you can add?"

She looked at her son in desperation, but he just sat there staring ahead like a broken wooden doll. She looked back at the Admiral and felt tears forming in her eyes "I didn't see anything. We were still hiding with Emma." she whispered but then shook her head taking a ragged breath "But my son is not a murderer! In fact, he cannot be one! We, his father and I implemented a mechanism in his positronic brain that would allow him to use deadly force ONLY in self-defence." she turned to Jones "I understand that you got scared, Premier. However, the truth is that Data had no ill-will in threatening you - he cannot act out of malice toward anyone! He took the only option that would hurt the least of ALL the parties involved. He is designed to do so."

Jones snorted "The love of a 'mother'... What else would you say, of course..." he crossed his arms in front of him "Well, I don't care how you're trying to cover up his attempting to murder me," he pressed a finger on the table "I'm pressing charges."

The Admiral looked at him with a strict expression "You have a right to do so, Premier, but there's no need for that for now." he then turned to Data "Starfleet will deal with this matter as an internal case. I want a thorough investigation with Doctor Maddox involved. Till it's done, you're going to be detained, Commander."

Juliana gasped shocked, and Picard frowned taken aback "Detained?! But Admiral, in the case of a human, he would only be confined to quarters! There's no need..."

But the Admiral seemed to have run out of patience for that day "If you wish to join him, Picard you may do so!" he snapped "You will also receive a reprimand in your records for misleading a superior. Will it suffice, or what shall it be?!"

And at that, the Captain lost it too! He jumped up from his seat "You may try to silence me, but I refuse to be treated as a snotty kid or let my subordinates be treated like criminals without a sufficiently good reason, Admiral!"

"Captain!" Data called worried that he would bring his own misfortune over one of his best friend's head too.

The Admiral stood too with a deep frown "That is far enough, Picard!"

But the Captain didn't back off "Data did EXACTLY as I or any other Starfleet officer would have done in his place! As his commanding officer, I see nothing wrong with the course of actions he chose. He got all his team members out of the mines, against all odds, in the midst of a terrible earth quake! Moreover he brought valuable information to our knowledge! Without his contribution, how would we know about Romulans inside Federation territory? No matter how well the Premier can explain why they are here, or how he or the government of Epsilon Four has no responsibility in it, the point is that they ARE here! And we know about the fact and can take measures against it exactly because of Data's invaluable contribution to this mission! I refuse to let him be treated as if he did something wrong or unbecoming of a Starfleet officer until you give me a pressing enough reason for it!"

The Admiral held his chin high up but seemed to concede "Very well, Picard, I will state my reasons. But only in private. This meeting is adjourned." he rasped dismissively. They all stood up, and the Admiral called to Juliana "Ms. Tainer, you may remain." At that, she felt her heart pounding hard in her chest. Maybe she could have a chance to protect her son, she needed to grab it! Her spirits however, soon had to sink as the Admiral pressed his commbadge "Security, report to the Observation Lounge!" She looked at Data alarmed and saw as Jones wiped a delighted smile off of his face as he was standing at the door. Her hands came up into fists.

In a matter of seconds, two security officers appeared at the door, and the Admiral gave out his orders "Take Lieutenant Commander Data to the Brig, and double security at his cell."

Picard looked at Data and saw that he had resignation all over his face. The Captain's heart lurched for his friend. And he had to admit for his mother too - it must have been heart-breaking to witness your child to be imprisoned innocently!

The android was about to obediently step over to the guards, when he felt his hand taken. He looked to his side surprised and saw his mother standing there, squeezing his hand in hers. A small, reassuring smile appeared on his features "Please, do not worry, Mother!" he told her silently.

"I won't allow anybody to hurt you!" she whispered swallowing her tears.

He squeezed her hand gently "Mother. Starfleet rescued me, nurtured me, educated me, matured me into the man I am today. It will not injure or destroy me. Just believe in that, alright?" he looked up to meet the Admiral's gaze "As much as I believe in my comrades' good judgement."

With that, he let her hand go, and left with a straight back with the Security officers in waiting.

* * *

 **A/N: If somebody wants to use the means provided by democracy to reach his own goals, is there a way to stop him? - that was the one thing that I kept repeating in my mind while writing this chapter. (Kudos if you got through, by the way.)**

 **It might be wrong, to tell you this, but as I've already mentioned that Jones' character is based on a real politician in my country, so what the heck... The thing is, that every Thursday, THAT politician does a similar farce Jones is putting up here, where he lets himself be bombarded with questions and accusations (by journalists) about the government's dealings, and he talks himself out of everything, even seems to want to be challenged! Frankly speaking, quite frightening to watch... Let's hope that in the 24th century, we'll be able to fight such people! :)**

 **Do review, if you feel like dropping a word! Always wonderful to get feedback! :)**


	42. Chapter 42

Earl was standing on the corridor not far from the observation lounge waiting for Juliana to come out, and glared at Jones hostilely, who was watching seemingly utterly satisfied as Data was led away by the Security guards. He then looked at the old man and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Earl stepped up to him "You think you've won, right? You think you've taken revenge that Emma made you a cuckold, ha? The fact remains a fact, you know. You've been made ridiculous by a machine." he taunted.

"Oh, I've won." Jones smirked "I've won the moment the Admiral accepted my proposal of bringing the Enterprise here."

Earl frowned at him suspiciously tilting his head to the side "You've always been so arrogantly sure of yourself, that my stomach turned every time I saw that self-satisfied grin of yours. But finally, Emma did leave you, despite all your machinations and manipulation. You're right in one thing: Epsilon Four is not far from a revolution, and when it comes, you'll be drowned in your own arrogance."

Jones chuckled patronizingly "And you're hoping to live long enough to see that, right?" he stepped closer to the old man and this time looked at him with a dead serious expression "Aren't you forgetting something? I have the military police of an entire planet looking only for your hiding place, and once I learn where it is, all of you, all of your pathetic group of resistance will be dealt with. One by one, according to his merit. Now, remember one thing, old man: I will be the one to press the button at your execution."

Earl smirked at him without even feeling his pulse rising from the deadly threat: "You've always been very good at waving your dick. You see, though it might be enough for your groupies, for me, you rather seem like a little boy trying to figure out what his tiny willie is for. Try something else!"

Jones raised his eyebrows appreciative of the old man's guts, but then his lips were pulled into another one of his trademark smirks: "How about this? Guess who was there with your son in his last moments. Guess who saw him draw his last breath. Guess who heard him calling tearfully for his daddy in his last moment - just as he disappeared into thinair!"

Earl gaped at this shocked "It was you! You son-of-a..."

"Oh, you think, I'm finished?" Jones cut in closing the distance between them "I haven't even started!" his voice hardened with a cruel edge, and he had an unpitying glint in his eyes that Earl knew very well "We haven't even talked about that little boy whom you took under you wings. What's his name? Gary? He likes painting over billboards - and hanging out with Starfleet officers, am I right?"

Earl couldn't cover his shock and distress. He knew the boy had been arrested with Picard and Doctor Crusher, but also knew that he was never released... "What have you done to him?" he whispered with blazing eyes.

"Oh, personally, I did nothing. Only watched for a little while as the interrogators tried to get out of him where your hiding place is. Well... it must make you very proud to know that he protected your little secret - with his miserable little life."

Earl simply grabbed his collar and raised his fist to hit him, but suddenly felt strong arms around him as he was caught from behind and dragged a few steps away from Jones.

"Hey, stop it!" he heard a male voice from behind, but couldn't recognize it as he kept on struggling - he needed to kill this man! He HAD TO!

"You son-of-a-bitch! He was only a child! You monster!" he shouted in desperation.

Jones adjusted his suit completely ignoring Earl and gave a tight smile to his saviour "Thank you, Commander Riker!"

Will gave a slight shake to the still struggling old man "Stop it! You hear me?!" he ordered.

At that, Earl suddenly felt dizzy as an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed all over his body, and he knew he would have collapsed, if Riker hadn't held on to him. He gazed up at Will, who was shocked to see the utter desperation on the old man's face. Will slowly let him go, and the old man put a hand to the wall to steady himself.

"You okay?" Will asked, but Earl didn't feel himself up to answer him.

Jones looked at his gasping nemesis patronizingly "Don't try to wake pity by faking a heart-attack, old man!" he glanced up at Will going on "You see, Commander? This is the Resistance! Violence is the only language they speak! If it's no use, they try to wake sympathy with lies and stage-acts!"

Earl gaped helplessly out of words and gazed up at Riker visibly scared to see his reaction. The Commander stood there with a hard expression on his face for a moment longer, before taking the few steps between them and Jones. He looked deep into his eyes:

"You really think I'd buy that an elderly man as Mr. Mils would try to attack you without a compelling reason?" he asked on a dangerously low voice to which Jones only chuckled, and Will's blood suddenly boiled by seeing his reaction "You seriously think you can take ANYBODY on this starship for a ride just because the Admiral trusts you? You might have your connections in higher places, Mister, but take this for granted: you have no allies on the Enterprise!"

Jones stared into his eyes for a long moment with a sincerely amused expression on his face, and then chuckled again "Don't you worry yourself, Commander! I have just the allies that I need!"

Will stood his gaze then raised his chin high "In this case, hold on to them tight, because you won't find new ones amongst this crew." he growled with a tight frown, then turned and walked up to Earl.

"I'll escort you to your quarters, Mr. Mils." he told the old man who shook his head.

"I need to wait for Juliana." Earl said on a hollow voice.

"Very well. Then, I'll keep you company." Will declared and turned his head to stare into Jones' eyes challengingly.

Earl nodded gratefully and tried everything to keep his mind away from the crippling revelations that Jones was his son's murder, and that Gary was dead too! He had to blink back his tears as he pressed his back to the wall to try to get a grip.

* * *

"Reporting as ordered, Admiral." Maddox stood at the door of the observation lounge still a little preoccupied. When the Admiral called him to this meeting, he'd just been packing his last belongings and was ready to leave the soonest possible to get as far from his place of defeat as he could. Then as he walked up to the entrance of the lounge, he met the hostile gaze of Commander Riker just to be distracted by a stranger looking at him with odd curiosity. He frowned to himself confused as he stepped through the threshold still feeling the penetrating gaze following him until the doors closed behind him.

The Admiral turned to him and motioned him inside "Thank you, Doctor. Come in."

McKinnley, Picard and Juliana were still standing at the tall windows of the room, so Maddox walked up to them. The Admiral turned to him "I'll need you to run a full diagnostics on Commander Data to determine whether there is a malfunction in any of his systems, especially, his ethical programming."

Maddox frowned taken aback "We ran a full diagnostics on him last night, and found no problems, but of course, if you wish, Admiral..."

Picard cut in frowning "I still object to this treatment, Admiral and won't let Data to be put through any kind of ordeal of examination without a compellingly good enough reason!"

"You'll have your reasons, Picard, soon enough!" the Admiral rasped and looked at Maddox who stood there still confused "Doctor, tell me, do you remember the circumstances surrounding the decision about whether Mr. Data could be allowed to attend Starfleet Academy? You were there in the committee, and according to the records, you were the only one who objected to his admittance."

Maddox frowned still perplexed searching in his memories: "Of course I remember, Admiral. Though to be precise, there were several arguments for and against his admittance. At first, some of the members of the committee were just as reluctant as I was. They argued that we cannot guarantee the safety of an android's crewmates as he is stronger and more intelligent than anybody that ever got admitted. The Daystrom Institute then determined that Data has a basic conscience and several safety mechanisms that prevent him to use unnecessary violence AND allows him to use deadly force ONLY if he is in lethal danger. So these objections got discarded."

"Just as yours were, Doctor."

Maddox nodded seemingly uncomfortable "That is correct, Admiral, however... my initial argument against Data's admittance that he was not sentient has since been proven wrong. So my objections became just as moot as all the others proved to be, when Data was first examined."

The Admiral looked at Picard "I've studied the records created during that committee sitting, and I can assure all of you: the android's admittance was more like an experiment on the part of Starfleet than anything else. No one knew what exactly the outcome of this experiment might have been, but the committee trusted the findings of the Daystrom Institute. Now these finding have been refuted by Mr. Data himself by his alarming behaviour during the Epsilon mission. I think we can safely conclude that the early objections now have to be re-evaluated!"

Picard gaped now infuriated "He did what he had to do! What any of us would have done in his place! You just heard Doctor Maddox! What is there to re-evaluate?!"

"He is NOT just any of us!" the Admiral snapped "He's a cybernetic device with deadly speed and strength and mental prowess that enables him to out-think us, if we give him the opportunity!" he turned to Maddox "This is why I want you to check him out thoroughly! We might never be sure whether those safety mechanisms are still intact! I have a strong suspicion that he managed to override them! And I need you to prove that suspicion!"

Maddox gaped at him taken aback and suddenly had no idea what to answer.

Juliana watched the Admiral appalled by all of his paranoia and prejudice. Though it was not unfamiliar to her: she witnessed the same thing on Omicron Theta, when the colonists became scared of Lore being so completely human - and more than a human! But for god's sake, Data served a lifetime in Starfleet, risked his life countless times for his crewmates! And now this distrust?! He received the treatment of an inanimate object, worse than an organic criminal would! She couldn't keep her mind off of the question: if a loyal Starfleet officer like Data was treated this way, what would happen to HER, if once her true nature were revealed?

"Admiral!" she finally cut in not bearing to listen to this any longer.

All eyes became fixed on her, and she looked around clearly upset as the Admiral told her "Go ahead, Doctor Tainer." he nodded politely.

Juliana took in a shaky breath and gathered all her cybernetics knowledge to at least attempt to defy the Admiral's doubts.

"Admiral, what you've just described that you're afraid of is a so called unfriendly-AI." she started on a silent voice "An Artificial Intelligence that might achieve the point of singularity, a certain level of intelligence, where its creator cannot foresee how he would react to a certain situation. Admiral, I understand that you're not fully versed in cybernetics, and I have to admit that my knowledge is slightly out of date too. However, Doctor Maddox can confirm what I'm about to say. To create a friendly-AI, you do not only need a few safety mechanisms. Those are important too, of course, but only part of the whole. From the very beginning of the design of the algorithms, of the teaching process of the newly created neural net, you have to build up the AI in a way that the final result would be a friendly one. Data's father and I have gone to great lengths to do that! We had a very bitter lesson to learn from: Data's brother, Lore, became an unfriendly-AI. We learned from him that creating a friendly-AI is much-much more than a few safety tricks in the code. This is exactly why Lore cannot be salvaged. His programming was designed on principles that were wrong from the beginning! But Data is different! If you ask anybody who know him just a little, the first trait that they would point out in his character is his overwhelming wish to become human! To be at least LIKE a human. As much as he can possibly be. It is in every one of his actions, his emotions, this is the basis of his character. THAT is the greatest safety an AI could ever have: the admiration toward his creators, and the belief that his only way to develop is through emulating humans. Though this IS a limitation in his evolution - it would significantly slow it down - still this is the guarantee you're looking for. This is the guarantee that he'd never try to hurt or out-think his creators. So please believe me, when I say: we, Doctor Soong and I, did not commit the same mistake twice. Data is not Lore. And can never be!"

Picard watched the elderly lady in silent amazement: he never knew Data's greatest wish to one day become a human, was something previously programmed by his creators! He suddenly wondered whether Data knew about it or not...

Despite her convincing explanation, the Admiral eyed Juliana doubtfully. He then looked at Maddox, who gave them a slight nod:

"Doctor Tainer's telling the truth." he said on a colorless tone.

The Admiral frowned coldly "Thank you, Doctor Tainer for your scientific opinion. We'll let you know, if we need your contribution again."

"But..." she gaped shocked at the treatment. It was plain that she was dismissed.

"Please, give us the space to discuss the matter." he told her on a tone that suggested that he did everything to remain polite with a lady - at the end of his patience. Juliana looked at Picard with desperation clearly written on her features. The Captain gave her a small nod and hoped that she would understand that he was just as determined to protect her son as she was. Finally, she conceded and left the men alone.

"Doctor Maddox, proceed with the examination." the Admiral ordered making both the cyberneticist and the Captain gape in shock.

Picard stepped in front of him "Admiral, you have just listened to the refutation of all your doubts. Doctor Tainer and Doctor Maddox both confirm that this examination is unnecessary!"

"I don't care if a hundred cyberneticists refute what I can see with my naked eyes!" the Admiral snapped "Your android has managed to rewrite his programming and is now a threat to all living creatures around him!"

"This is a witch-hunt! This is outrageous!"

"These are my orders, Picard! Your android will remain confined in the brig, where he doesn't have the means of the ship's computer, which might enable him to conceal his tampering in his safety routines, and rewrite his programming in a way that would comply with our requirements! Once Doctor Maddox determined how far he can be trusted, we can decide on his fate. Personally, I'd be the most relieved, if he was handed over to the Daystrom Institute." he turned to Maddox "Proceed, Doctor! Dismissed."

Maddox blinked completely dazed "Yes, Sir!" he said and left them alone.

Before the Captain could say anything, the Admiral barked at him too "You too, Picard. I suggest you should count your blessings that you got away with as little as a reprimand today, and stop pushing this or any other matter any further." he growled.

The Captain stood his ground "As I've already told you, Sir, you may try to silence me, but I will not allow my comrades to be mistreated. And I keep myself to it, Sir!" he straightened his back, with his chin high - almost as if he was about to salute - then left the old man alone with a determined glare.

It seemed that Jones was only waiting for that, because in a moment's time, he appeared in the doorway of the observation lounge.

He cleared his throat to call the Admiral's attention who was standing at one of the windows and stared outside seemingly deep in thought. He then glanced at the new-comer startled:

"Premier."

Jones stepped in "Admiral. Forgive me for intruding. If I'm disturbing you, I'll leave."

McKinnley took a step away from the windows "No, Premier, of course, you're not disturbing me. What can I do for you?"

Jones walked up to him to stand opposite the old man "I'd like to thank you for providing me an opportunity to defend myself from the accusations."

"Oh, don't mention it, Premier. I'm the one who is sorry that I had to jeopardize our good relations in order to keep to the rules. But... I have to be fair to all parties involved."

"That's perfectly understandable, Admiral!" Jones nodded empathically "You're in an unenviable situation. Let's hope that once we've signed our contracts, all things will settle."

McKinnley nodded "I hope that too."

Jones then glanced out of the window with a thoughtful expression "Speaking of which..." he stepped to the window to look down at his planet below "There's but one thing I'd like to settle, Admiral. One thing we already have a treaty for, as we've never discarded that treaty between the Federation and Epsilon Four to begin with."

The Admiral frowned confused "And which treaty would that be?"

Jones looked at him with his features hard as stone "A Treaty of Rendition, Admiral."

Realization ran through McKinnley's features as he locked gazes with Jones "Hmm... I understand that you want to get a hold of your convicted criminal, Premier Jones."

The younger man turned back to him nodding "I need Earl Mils to be arrested and surrendered to us, to the people of Epsilon Four. So that we can prosecute and punish him for his crimes. As long as he is on Federation territory on this ship, I can do nothing. But he has committed unforgivable crimes against my people, only to gain power and personal revenge. And I need to put an end to his machinations!"

The Admiral frowned "Personal revenge?"

Jones nodded looking into the old man's eyes "He used to be my wife's close colleague... Despite the difference in their ages, he tried to seduce her throughout the time they've known each other. Finally, he managed to lure her into joining the Resistance - if in anything else, he failed. He's always held a grudge against me, out of jealousy that Emma remained faithful to me. Well... at least she was, as long as we shared a life."

The Admiral watched as pain appeared on the other man's features and saw how he tried to conceal it. "I see no reason why your request couldn't be granted, Premier." he answered finally "Please, hand in an official petition, and from then on, it is only a matter of time, a couple of days at most, until we get the confirmation from the Federation. And then you can take your criminal with you to Epsilon Four."

Jones extended a hand appreciatively "Thank you, Admiral! You have my utmost gratitude."

The Admiral shook his hand with a satisfied smile that at least they could resolve one matter - out of so many still remaining...


	43. Chapter 43

_Three days later..._

Deanna sat at science station 2 on the Bridge, with her elbow propped up on the console, and she stared at the screen with her forehead in her palm. The letters started to run into one another, and she tried to blink the sleepiness away, when she felt her head nod...

"That's gonna be a sloppy search query with your nose stuck in the keyboard." she heard from behind and jumped startled at the sound. She looked up to see who gave her the scare annoyed, but when she saw that Will Riker was standing above her with a worried expression, she rather remained silent. "Deanna, you're exhausted. Try to sleep, at least a little. You cannot do gamma shift with your eyes closing!"

She sighed and stretched in her seat "I'm fine, it's just... I need to do this. This man needs to be stopped, he..." she shook her head frustrated "He's just..." she didn't think she could find the words to describe how she felt about Jones.

Will sat next to her and grimaced "You look how I feel. You know... I used to call Ms. Jones a shrew for being so anti-social. But now that I know her husband... I wonder how she could have remained as civilized as she had." he told her with a bemused wince.

Deanna turned her palm up raising her eyebrows "See? NOW you DO understand! This is exactly why I need to do this!"

Will tried to reason with her patiently "I know. But there's no way you can find anything out, if you're so tired. You do need sleep!"

She shook her head frustrated "I know that! But no matter what I try, I cannot sleep! I only have nightmares! Indescribable, blood-chilling nightmares! I'm scared even of the thought of sleeping!" she shrugged lost "If I don't find anything against Jones, who knows what he'll get the Admiral to do next? I need to know how he holds him in his hands. Bribing or blackmail or..." she sighed not daring to go on with the possibilities.

Will put a soothing hand on her lower arm "Why don't you let me help?"

"I don't think you could!" she told him shrugging "Apart from the fact that Jones was born in a different place than what is stated in his birth certificate, I barely found anything suspicious." she pressed a few buttons and several documents appeared "I've found that he might be suffering from some sort of an illness, because during his university years, I found that he was regularly checked into a hospital." she looked at him "I talked to Beverly about him, because I remembered her saying that they'd met before he met Emma. She told me, she met him at a hospital on Delos Four, over a decade ago, one or two years prior to the colonization of Epsilon Four. So he might still have some condition."

"Does she remember why he was treated?"

"No. It was over a decade ago, and she wasn't his physician personally. I tried to get hold of these records, but conveniently enough for Mr. Jones, the hospital burned to the ground eight years ago. And the records are just..." she spread her arms frustrated "they're all gone, of course." she shrugged helpless "I don't know whether this leads anywhere... but I've found nothing else that would at least be suspicious or just simply raise my interest. Only this hospitalization lead."

"We should check the Epsilon Four records. There might be something more interesting. Some juicy classified stuff."

"Sure! I COULD just do that, if the one person who could break into such an old computer system would not be sitting in the brig!"

Will sighed rubbing the back of his neck "And Geordi?" he asked finally.

Deanna shook her head "He has no idea. It's too old, he's never seen anything of the kind." she sighed "I'm bumping into dead-ends wherever I look."

Will gave her his most reassuring smile "What if we beam over the wall of that dead-end?"

"How do you mean?" she asked a little impatiently.

"I think I'll now go to take some fresh air - I heard the conditioning is extraordinary around the brig today, so I might start there..." he told her standing and stretching out his long limbs.

She stood bewildered "Will, you know, the Admiral forbade everyone to visit Data! You could get into serious trouble if you try to. You know the Captain got another reprimand for trying it two days ago!"

He leaned close to her ear and whispered "And since when did such a threat stop me?" he shrugged "Anyway, if I'm caught and punished innocently, I'll be the hero of the day! And if that title is not appealing enough for you to break out in hero-worship, I'd try to get you to comfort me for being a martyr of the noble cause!"

She had to give him a flirtatious smile at this "You know what, Mr. Sacrificial Lamb? You've got yourself a companion on the slab!"

Will grinned "That's the spirit!"

* * *

Data was sitting on the berth in the brig and stared ahead with a blank expression. With all the data and information within his positronic brain, he never imagined that he would experience what it was like to be bored within a stimulus-poor environment. However, he was locked up in a cell for the last three days, and apart from the Captain, who stole in once two days ago, he barely met a living creature. He heard his mother's voice once after the meeting three days ago, but she was not let through by the guards, and he didn't even see her from his cell. Then Doctor Maddox paid him a quick visit to take a full backup of his brain, but he never returned since. Well, if he wanted to analyse all the backed up data, that would last a few human lifetimes, he thought dryly. Though if the Captain was right, that they were looking for 'glitches' in his safety mechanisms only... that might not take that long to find what they'd been looking for... And after that... who knew what would become of him? A pile of scrap or the cybernetic equivalent of a guinea pig in the Daystrom Institute?

But worse than the feeling of being left to oblivion and worse than the uncertainty of his own fate was the uncertainty about how Emma was... Ever since he'd been confined, he had no access to any information on her condition, and he hadn't seen her for over four days! Not to mention the fact that the last time he touched her, she was virtually dead... He felt his chest clenched by fear, and a tremor ran through his body, if he thought about the sensation. He sighed hoping that Doctor Crusher would somehow let him know about it, if... there was a change.

Oh, if Emma got better, he wouldn't give a damn about his own desperate situation! He could be taken apart at the Daystrom Institute by Maddox or the Admiral to their liking! IF he knew that Emma was awake. Because if she was awake, she had a chance to defend herself from her husband - but lying there unconscious... he feared Jones would find a means to get to her sooner or later.

He stood up determined! He could NOT allow that! He looked to his side and once again eyed a maintenance panel tightly sealed, the way he'd done countless times in the last days. He walked up to it purposefully and felt the sides of the lid with his fingertips. It would take only a moment for him to break it off and tapping into the safety systems of the brig, he could easily deactivate the forcefield of his cell. But then in the corner of his eye, he could see the guard frowning toward him from the front of the brig, where his desk was, and to conceal his sudden intentions, Data turned away from the panel and started to pace the small cell. The guard turned back to his monitor.

Data sighed as he mused on creating a plan. Of course, he'd have to figure out how to get off the Enterprise. Once he'd break out of the brig, it was plain he couldn't stay aboard. He reached the wall of the cell and turned back. No. It was not yet time for such plans. He had to wait. He had to trust his friends that they were able to protect her! She needed the medical attention of Doctor Crusher now more than anything - he hoped that Jones knew that too, and wouldn't want to deprive his wife from it.

His brooding was broken by the opening door at the far end of the corridor. He cocked his head curious of who entered, and a small smile appeared on his lips seeing the Captain, then the expression was followed by a concerned one. What was he doing here after the reprimand he'd received?! He watched his Captain whispering with the guard, and when the young man finally let him through, Picard walked up to his cell. The guard left them alone.

"Captain!" Data greeted him stepping up to where the Captain stopped at the forcefield.

Picard held his gaze for a long moment before he returned the greeting "Good to see you, Data." he told the android with a heavy heart and a small smile.

Data then looked at him very worried "The pleasure is mine, Sir, however... if the Admiral finds you here, the consequences will be-"

Picard cut in "I know, Data, but don't worry, he's having a negotiation session with Premier Jones. He's not paying attention for the moment. And I'll take only a few minutes. But I needed to see you to reassure you."

The android looked at him expectantly - did he have news about Emma?! "Indeed, Sir?" he asked cocking his head.

Picard nodded "Yes. I've managed to finally find Captain Louvois. She is on holiday at a secluded ski-resort in the Pyrenees, on Earth, so this is why she couldn't be contacted before. I spoke to her, and she promised to give a legal statement that WILL resolve your present situation. It shouldn't take long to get you out of here." he smiled encouragingly at his friend.

But Data didn't seem to be relieved. On the contrary, he just slouched disillusioned "Captain... I'm eternally grateful for what you're trying to do for me. However... I believe my legal status will be irrelevant in the light of what Doctor Maddox will find in his examinations."

Picard frowned confused "What do you mean?"

Data turned his palms up consciously "What the Admiral suspected before. That my safety mechanisms are overridden... That is actually true. I've done it several years ago on board the Jovis..." he glanced away as he retrieved the memory files of his captivity by Kivas Fajo. Then he raised his head to look into the Captain's eyes again "Doctor Maddox will soon find out what I've done, I believe." he said on a silent voice as if he was deeply ashamed of himself.

Picard frowned trying to remember what Data'd been talking about, but even though the name sounded creepily familiar, he couldn't recall where he'd heard it "The Jovis..." he shook his head tentatively after a few moments "You'll have to jog my memory, Data." he admitted finally.

The android didn't take offence that one of his closest friend didn't remember such a remarkable experience of his life, he simply started to explain. "The Jovis was the ship of Kivas Fajo, the Zimbalian merchant, who collected rare objects..." at this he could clearly see that the Captain now could very well recall which incident they were talking about! He went on "When I was Fajo's captive, I knew that you thought that I was dead, and I knew I had to find a way out myself. I also knew that I might find myself in a controversial situation, where I'd have to ...to kill Fajo. Understand, Captain, he was a ruthless monster! He didn't simply hold me captive, he tortured his people, who were used like slaves. I couldn't permit that to continue!"

Picard nodded grimly "So you overrode your programming to be able to use deadly force even if you were not in lethal danger."

Data nodded with a regretful expression on his face "I'm really sorry, that I didn't tell you... I-I just couldn't! There was always the chance that you would react just as the Admiral reacted three days ago. I... I didn't want to risk that and... get sent away, or... be stripped down to my wires just as the Admiral wants now." he finished bowing his head.

Picard sighed slightly impatiently "Data, I suspected it. If not sooner, but when you killed the Borg Queen."

Data snapped his head up gaping shocked, and Picard went on on a firm voice.

"Understand, Data. We, Doctor Crusher, Geordi, Counsellor Troi, Commander Riker, me, all of us, have the ability to take away the life of another. This is not a unique android ability! The means might be different, of course, but also irrelevant. There's but one thing that matters: the responsibility! And that responsibility is with US! With the person who has the ability and the opportunity to hurt others. It is there legally, AND morally too. This responsibility comes from being a sentient entity! This is why I'm saying that the question here is a legal and not a scientific one! No matter what Doctor Maddox would find, it will not be different from what could be found, if our brains could be backed up and analysed the same way yours can be. You are sentient. You are a person. And with that comes responsibility of your actions. This is why I believe that whatever you did during the mission has to be judged using the same scale as would be used, if the actions of an organic being were in question: and I've already told you during the briefing, that as a Starfleet officer, you've committed no crime, no mistake. It doesn't matter whether your actions imply that you're a friendly AI or an unfriendly one, if you're considered a person legally and morally. This is why I want Captain Louvois to affirm this with a legal document, and this is why I want to get you out of here as soon as possible. Please, start to wrap your mind around this, because it's now high time you do so!"

Data stood there dumbfounded at hearing this, and seeing him so perplexed and stunned, Picard felt a silent distress. It was really amazing that after years of living in an open, accepting community, Data still was shocked, if he was actually considered a person and not simply a machine.

He took a small step toward the forcefield "I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from Louvois. Till then, use the time and opportunity to digest the food for thought I've just given you. When you're finally allowed out of here, I want you to leave as a person, and not simply as an android. Is that clear, Commander?"

"Yes, Sir." Data breathed nodding.

The Captain gave him one last small smile, and turned to leave. But just a few steps from Data's cell, he stopped short as the door of the brig opened again. His lips tightened and his features hardened as he prepared himself for facing the Admiral. But to his utmost surprise, instead of their superior, Deanna and Will walked through the door leaving the guard outside.

"Number One! Counsellor!" Picard greeted the new-comers with the same surprise they were displaying. The couple stopped opposite him, a few steps from Data's cell as the Captain went on "I thought the order of the Admiral was clear! Why do you need to risk a reprimand?" he asked with a strict frown.

Will didn't waver a bit "We could ask you the same question, Sir!" he cleared his throat "With all due respect, of course."

The Captain's strict expression suddenly softened as an unexpected chuckle rippled through his lips. He waved a hand "You mean an additional one besides the two that I've already received from our kind Admiral McKinnley? For you, Number One, there's really nothing to worry about: by the time the Admiral finishes his work on the Enterprise, I wouldn't be surprised, if I'd be relieved of duty - which means that the big chair would go to you! Well, of course, if you don't blow it with unnecessary recklessness."

Will and Deanna chuckled albeit wryly, and Data looked from his cell from one of them to the other with a worried expression "I surmise, you are only joking, Sir." he deadpaned.

They turned to him and walked up to the forcefield as Picard shrugged slightly "Well, Data, for now, yes. But the Counsellor can confirm that Freud said once: no such thing as a joke. So frankly speaking, I'm not sure we're far from the reality of that joke."

"But Sir!" Data started alarmed, to which Picard raised a soothing hand.

"Don't worry, Commander, I've already contacted Starfleet Command. I called in some favours and hopefully, in a few hours we'll be more knowledgeable about why Admiral McKinnley is so desperately adamant about signing a treaty of alliance with somebody as deeply incriminated as Premier Jones is. So much so that he is willing to abuse his authority as a commanding officer. There has to be some reason behind the fact that he is in such a firm denial of the obvious, and I intend to find that out. Meanwhile, Counsellor Troi can go on with her investigation on the other side of the equation: Premier Jones."

"Speaking of which." Will declared and without further ado reached out to the panel next to the forcefield of the cell, and deactivated it. Picard raised his eyebrows but didn't say a word. Data on the other hand seemed shocked by their recklessness.

"Commander!" he started, but Riker cut in.

"Shh! We don't have time for gibbering just now."

"We need your help Data." Deanna explained simply stepping up to the android.

Data shook his head reluctantly "I'd gladly, Counsellor, but how could I be of any use with all my access-codes and clearances withdrawn?"

"You don't need clearances, where you'll need to be tinkering, Data, here!" Riker handed a padd to him "We need you to break into the computer system of Epsilon Four." At the android's confused frown, he went on "We're trying to find something against Jones, but this security system is so old-fashioned that Geordi says, he's never seen anything remotely similar to it. He can't break into it."

Data nodded "I see." he finally conceded and obeyed without further questions. He started tapping the padd in silence.

"How did you get through the guard, Number One? I thought the Admiral forbade all visitors in the brig." Picard asked frowning.

"The Ensign on duty is the son of an old Academy friend." Will explained "And you, Sir? If I may ask, that is, of course."

Picard chuckled "Well, I'm still the Captain of this crew, and it seems for some, it still means something."

Will grinned, but then it quickly disappeared. Silence descended on them as they all felt a weight setting on their shoulders by this thought. Deanna could feel it well, so she quickly tried to think of something to talk about. The most obvious was what she was interested in anyways:

"How are you, Data?" she asked the working android concerned, knowing that he had unique abilities for multi-tasking.

Data kept his eyes on the running screen of the padd as he answered "I am fine, Counsellor. Only a little bored - and very worried for Emma. Do you happen to know anything about her?"

The humans exchanged glances before she answered on a low voice "She's the same, Data."

At this, he raised his gaze to meet hers "But... Doctor Crusher said that the first three days are the most crucial. Isn't there even a slight sign of improvement?" he asked on a small, almost childlike voice.

Deanna shook her head "In all honesty, Data, I don't know any details, but... I'm sure Doctor Crusher would tell you, if there was any change."

Will watched his friend's face as his usual emotionless expression slowly turned into a desperate one, and he knew he had to distract him "Data!" when the android's absent gaze met his, he nodded to the padd "Speed up, we don't have much time." he urged him on a silent voice.

Data shook his head blinking as if he was waking from a dream "Yes, of course." he mumbled and started tapping again.

In a matter of minutes, Data managed to break in and handed the padd to Deanna "Here you are, Counsellor."

"Oh, great, thank you!" she took the padd excited and started to look into the data displayed "How did you do it?" she asked absently.

"With the help of an age-old technique called brute-force. The only thing you need for that is calculating capacity. At around the middle of the 21st century, after the Third World War, computers with high capacity processors were scarce, so protection against such a simple hack was barely in use. I used this security liability to our advantage."

Riker was just about to tell him that they needed to leave, before he got caught up in a technical explanation, which might seem manically intriguing to him, but they wouldn't understand even a word out of it, when they were startled by a new voice:

"May I join the party?" Beverly asked looking at them wide-eyed. Seeing her, all four of them let out a relieved breath.

"Beverly..." Picard began, but Data cut in.

"Doctor Crusher! Do you have any news?" he asked stepping up to her, and Beverly immediately understood that he thought she came here to update him about Emma.

She winced apologetically "I'm sorry, Data, but no. I still have some ideas I can try out, so please, don't worry." she told him silently, putting a comforting hand on his arm.

Deanna looked at Beverly surprised sensing that she was not completely honest. Though she was not outrightly lying either.

But the doctor didn't notice her expression, she only looked at Picard "Actually, I was looking for you. But when I checked where you were, I didn't expect to find a senior staff meeting in the brig! To which I was not invited!" she told them crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"It was rather an ad-hoc idea." he told her apologetically, shrugging slightly "But what can I do for you?" he asked with an attentive, small smile.

She let out a frustrated breath as she let her arms down "Get Jones out of my sickbay!" she said, and they all looked at her taken aback as she explained "He's spending all his time there, he doesn't give me a moment of break! He wants to get to Emma, and I'm getting fed up by the distraction he's causing! I cannot do my job with him breathing in my neck, Jean-Luc!" she told the Captain stepping up to him, and she really seemed infuriated.

Picard gave her a tiny smile to sooth her "I understand, Beverly, but please be patient for a little while more. We're trying all that we can." he motioned toward Deanna still deeply wrapped up in the data she saw on the display of the padd "The Counsellor is at present looking into Epsilon Four files to investigate Jones."

"Ah." Beverly nodded bemused that she couldn't get the Captain do at least the civilized equivalent of throwing Jones out through the nearest airlock. She looked at Deanna squinting "How is it coming? Have you found anything useful?" she asked a little doubtful.

Deanna looked up from the padd once again, feeling all these negative emotions from her that was very unlike Beverly. She was impatient, frustrated and very angry. And it made Deanna very worried for her friend. However, the feeling was mutual. As they locked gazes, Beverly was shocked to see the circles under Deanna's tired eyes, as she gave them a small shrug "Well... It might be only some more dead-ends, nothing more..." she replied finally.

"Dead-ends?" the Captain frowned.

She nodded "Ever since I've started to investigate Premier Jones, I feel, I'm running into dead-ends whenever I try to get any relevant information. This is no different. In the Epsilon Four database, all classified files of government officials seem to be missing."

"Missing?" Will asked as Data stepped next to Deanna to look at the padd.

Deanna showed the displayed list of files to him "See? There are the filenames, but if you want to open them, it says: -"

"-File missing. Code 312" Data finished what they read.

"Code 312." Picard frowned "What might that signify?"

"Can it be some kind of an encryption code or pass code that's required?" Will asked Data who was tapping the padd again.

After a moment, the android shook his head "No. In actuality, the files are not there. They do not exist. This database seems at least in part, like some sort of an index. Some files are physically there, but some are just represented by an annotation."

"Are there any other such codes?" Beverly asked curious.

Data looked at the files once again for a long moment "Well, I found one other such instance: Code 350. But no explanation. No legend next to it..."

They looked at each other suddenly very discouraged.

"This is a big, fat dead-end alright." Will grumbled wincing.

"So much for my part of the investigation..." Deanna bowed her head, sighing disappointed.

Data looked at their troubled, frustrated faces and suddenly frowned determined "No. I refuse to simply let this go." he declared and started tapping the padd to link the database with the ship's computer "If these files are this much protected, there has to be a reason for it!" They looked at him expectantly as he raised his head to go on data-mining using the computer "Computer, find correlations for the annotation Code 312."

The computer chirped "Voice recognition: Lieutenant Commander Data. You are currently not authorized to query Federation information. Alpha-two clearance withdrawn by Admiral Seth McKinnley on Stardate 51147.50."

Data grimaced - his clearances, of course... Not that he didn't know how to remedy this small technicality, but then it might have not been such a good idea to reveal so many secrets he kept so tightly locked in one single day in front of the Captain. In a fraction of a second, he deducted that, if it helped getting rid of Jones, everything was worth it, so he set his chin determined, and just as the Captain was about to offer his assistance, he started to talk on Picard's voice, getting everybody very much off-guard "Computer, recognize Picard, Jean-Luc. Alpha-one clearance."

And the computer chirped obediently "Alpha-one clearance recognized. Please, proceed."

The others only gaped at each other speechless as Data went on on the Captain's voice "Computer, find correlations for the annotation Code 312. Does it come up in any other file indices? File names or any place else in connection to classified information?"

Will pointed a thumb towards him looking at the Captain "So this is how he took over the ship seven years ago to travel back to his father?"

"I believe so, Number One." Picard grumbled bewildered "My problem is, that after the incident, the technicians assured me, that the new and improved security of the voice recognition protocols excluded the possibility of getting a clearance by faking anyone's voice. And yet..."

Data turned his head to him for a moment and spoke on his own voice "That was on the Enterprise-D, Sir. It seems they forgot to implement the same additional security protocols to the Enterprise-E... Sir..." he winced suddenly noticing that everybody was looking at him as if he had two heads "I am sorry, Sir. I should have reported this security hole earlier."

Picard only looked at Riker and nodded "Yes, Commander, I believe you should have..."

Will, on the other hand, had a hard time fighting off the grin that started to creep on his features. It was rare to see Data committing any disobedience, and it was oddly funny to witness it. He was saved by the chirping computer.

"Annotation Code 312 found in several records in various geo-redundant databanks, belonging to the Epsilon Four government. Results found only in file indices. No results in filenames, file contents or directories."

Data went on and this time only the Captain looked very uncomfortable hearing his own voice coming out of his second officer's mouth. The others didn't bat an eyelash. "Can you find any explanation, any legend that could suggest a meaning for Code 312?"

"There is no explanatory material on file-annotations existing within the Epsilon Four records."

"Are there any other such annotations?"

"Affirmative. Code 350 is also found in the Epsilon Four data-banks."

"Can you find a correlation by analysing the file names in connection to these annotations in the indices?"

"Negative. There is no direct correlation-"

"However indirect or improbable correlation would also suffice, Computer!" this time it was Picard himself who butted in, now getting really curious - and quite annoyed by having to listen to his own voice out of Data.

"Affirmative. Most but not exclusively all files with the annotation Code 312 suggest medical and sensitive personal content, information belonging mainly to government officials. Code 350 suggest various topics mostly connected to the Epsilon Four media-industry."

"Back where we started." Will winced again "We need the Code 312 files, but we're still no closer to their contents as before."

"If only we knew where those files actually are!" Deanna told them regretfully "We could go there and check for ourselves."

"This is it, Counsellor!" Data declared on his own voice looking as if he found the philosopher's stone "It's so simple! It was right before our eyes!" he went on on Picard's voice "Computer, what is the full name of the two colonies belonging to Epsilon Four?"

"Epsilon Luna is the lunar colony on the second moon in orbit of Epsilon Four. Epsilon Twelve is the farthest planet in the Epsilon system."

"Are there any highly secure, geo-redundant data centers on these colonies?"

"Affirmative."

Will raised his eyebrows and exchanged glances with Deanna, while Beverly and the Captain still looked somewhat perplexed at Data.

The android smiled at them with the excitement of a child "The Roman number equivalent for 50 is L. While the number three inverted gives the Greek letter Epsilon. Therefore the two codes stand for the data-centers on the two colonies: Epsilon Luna and Epsilon Twelve." he looked at Deanna "The files you are looking for, Counsellor, are on Epsilon Twelve."

"Can you not break in there, Data?" Deanna asked.

The android looked at the padd again and started tapping it.

"I never knew they had colonies." Will admitted.

Beverly shook her head "I wouldn't call them colonies. More like small stations or outposts. The one on the moon is certainly just that. As far as I know, it's used to invent the warp-drive - without alien influence on the science used."

"You're kidding me..." Will gaped.

"I wish I was, Will." Beverly sighed.

"What about the other colony?" Deanna asked curious.

Data answered that for her - though he was still tapping "It's a resort, a luxury recreational facility for the richest people of Epsilon Four. Emma said that when she was a celebrated actress, they often used the luxury surroundings as background sets for her films. She visited the place to shoot films." the padd chirped, and he let out a frustrated breath "These records seem to be kept on a computer not connected to any network. I broke into the system, but cannot find the files mentioned in the indices. It's not possible to get the information remotely..."

Deanna looked at Will excited "We have to go there!"

Picard spoke up for the first time in minutes on a thoughtful voice. "Counsellor, I appreciate your enthusiasm, however I'm still not sure if these records lead anywhere. As Data has said, these are personal information and medical records only. Do you think it's worth it to risk a diplomatic scandal, if Starfleet officers are caught spying within non-federational territory? Not to mention the fact that it might play to the hands of Jones, who could use such an incident to feed his propaganda."

Deanna sighed grimly "I don't know, Sir, I just know one thing! I need to get to the bottom of this! There is something very, VERY wrong with this man! And I don't just mean what we all can see, that he is manipulating the Admiral with means that we have not yet been able to determine. I mean, something is out of place with him, as a person. As a... being." she shook her head frustrated "I cannot phrase it any better, Sir. I just know, that I have to grab at all and every opportunity to learn what it is!"

Picard could see that she was almost desperate to get to the bottom of this, and he knew better than to simply dismiss her hunches or intuition. He nodded "Very well, Counsellor." he looked at Will "Take a shuttlecraft, Number One, and I want you to return before the gamma shift, so the Admiral - and Jones - wouldn't suspect that we are snooping around once again. And DON'T get caught!"

"Aye, Sir!" Will nodded with a vigorous smile, and he and Deanna left in a hurry.

Data looked at the Captain suddenly worried "Captain, you and Doctor Crusher should leave as well. I really don't want you to get into trouble because of visiting me."

Picard nodded "Alright, Data. Just be a little more patient, I'll let you know when I hear back from Louvois."

"Thank you, Captain."

Beverly and Picard stepped through the threshold of the cell, and the Captain activated the forcefield with the side-panel. They locked gazes for one last moment, then just as Picard and Beverly turned to go, Data stepped up to the forcefield.

"Doctor Crusher!"

"Yes, Data?" Beverly asked as they turned back. She could tell he was anxious, and it made her heart lurch for him.

"Please, take very good care of her while I cannot!" he asked on a silent, childlike tone.

She felt her throat closing and just couldn't reply. She simply gave him a firm nod before they turned again and left him alone.

Data sighed with a new sensation in his neural net: he felt his heart in his chest weighted more than it should - much more. He tried to dismiss the unsettling sensation on the grounds that he rationally knew it was not possible. He walked back to his berth to sit back into that slouching position he'd been in before this unexpected, unscheduled and unauthorized staff-meeting.


	44. Chapter 44

Deanna sat in the chair of the runabout and gazed ahead with tired eyes. They'd been travelling for half an hour towards their destination, Epsilon Twelve. She glanced at Will who sat there next to her in his newly replicated set of 21st century civilian clothes and couldn't help to be grateful to him for accompanying her. It was one thing that he - unlike her - was fully rested and at his senses, but it was nice to feel his belief in her judgement.

Will turned his head to her feeling her gaze on himself and smiled one of his charming smiles. Deanna couldn't help but returned it with a shy one of her own.

He looked at the instruments "Good thing that the runabout is so fast, we're only an hour away from Epsilon Twelve. With a shuttlecraft it would be almost three."

She nodded acknowledgingly and turned back to the window. She stared ahead wordlessly.

Will gazed at her worried at her silence and made another attempt to start a conversation "I wonder how the Epsilonians take this distance. Without a warp-capable ship, it would take two-three days."

A long moment passed before Deanna turned to him absently as if waking from a dream "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

He exhaled a breath and turned his chair towards hers to reach out and touch her arm concerned "Deanna. You're so preoccupied that I might as well start to talk to the computer and get a better partner."

She smiled apologetically and propping her elbow on the chair's arm, she leaned toward him "Sorry. I was just thinking..."

"You're brooding, not thinking."

She sighed and gazed away with a troubled expression "I'm just worried that if we don't find anything against this man, how will we protect Emma? How can we stop Jones?"

Will winced at this glancing away at the stars ahead "I guess, we'll have to break a few more rules then." he then turned back to her "Was it on purpose that you didn't tell Data that Jones filed a petition not only for Mils but for Emma as well using that goddamn Treaty of Rendition?" he didn't want to ask what he suspected that she was so tired that she didn't even think about telling him.

But Deanna looked at him taken aback "Of course! Will! Just think about how he would react to the fact that in a few days, Emma might be arrested by her very husband! Under Federation law! I know Data still seems to be hyper-rational in most of his decisions, but don't get fooled! I'd been doing an intense series of therapeutic sessions with him in the last two months. Believe me, beneath that aloof surface we all see, his emotions are just as passionate as any man's would be in love! Imagine how you'd feel if you had to learn that your love could be taken away by someone who'd already been torturing her for a decade? Without having a single legal means to stop him!" she shook her head "If he learns that Jones might lay his hands on her as soon as today or tomorrow, I think the Data we know, who makes all his decisions based on logic, will prove himself to be a VERY irrational man!" she sighed trying to calm herself "This is why we need to find something."

Will sighed and had to admit, the situation became desperate with Jones' petition. No treaty with the Federation remained in effect after the colony separated from the Federation a decade ago EXCEPT for the now very convenient Treaty of Rendition. And since Emma was part of the illegal Resistance just as Earl was, she was officially a wanted criminal on Epsilon Four. And as such, Jones petitioned that both she and Earl would be surrendered to him the soonest possible. It was only a matter of time his wish would be granted, because there was no legal reason to deny it...

But Will refused to give up on trying to make Deanna see things more optimistic "Even if we don't find anything against Jones, Data is not alone in this. He has friends who are willing to risk a lot for him without a question. And he knows this well." despite the suddenly grim mood, he smiled "Don't worry, Deanna, before he can do anything senseless, his girlfriend will be transferred to a safe hospital on Denobula, where no one would find her unless we want it."

She didn't seem to be cheered up, only bowed her head at this, and Will slouched crestfallen. Deanna then started on a silent voice "Isn't it unfair, Will?" she looked at the stars ahead wistfully "Data only had a taste of what it is to have someone so close. And he might have to give up on it... He might have to accept the fact that his lover might never open her eyes again." she whispered shaken.

Will sighed "Deanna, you just heard Doctor Crusher. She said she still has things to try..."

She raised her head sharply at this "No, Will. I could feel that she was not telling the truth." He frowned now stunned as she went on "She just did the same as we did. Told Data a white-lie to protect him." she shook her head with a bitter expression "So even if we somehow managed to save Emma from her husband, she might remain unconscious for the rest of her life. If I think of that... I keep asking myself: wouldn't both of them deserve more?"

She felt his hand on hers suddenly, and she turned to him surprised as he took her hand gently in his "Imzadi." he told her on a low voice - it always caught her breath a little. He gazed into her black eyes affectionately "Don't wrap yourself into these dark thoughts. It wouldn't help either of them. Let's concentrate on solving one problem at a time. Eventually, trust me, we'll get these two star-crossed lovers out of trouble, and back into their business of being happy with each other. Hmm?"

She held his gaze for a moment and finally couldn't help but give him a grateful smile as she nodded "I'll try to depress myself a little less." she promised trying hard to sound more positive.

"That's the spirit!" he grinned taking his hand away. He figured it'd be better to talk about matters more at hand to divert her attention so he told her "Let's review what we need to know about Epsilon Twelve before we land. If we fail the mission for not blending in enough, it'd do no more good than depressing ourselves to death."

Deanna smiled a little in reply, and in the remaining time of the journey, they prepared.

* * *

The biggest facility on the small, far-away outpost of Epsilon Twelve was a huge, luxurious hotel. The data-center was located underneath it, in the basement. They decided - in lack of a better option - to pretend to be tourists interested in the elegant building. They knew they wouldn't be able to check in: despite the economic difficulties Epsilon Four was facing, the highly expensive hotel was booked full.

They beamed down to the surface into a small, deserted alley not far from their destination. Will cautiously walked up to the mouth of the small passage and looked out in the open street. It was a wide promenade with several small shops and restaurants. People were walking up and down, and Will motioned for Deanna that they could join the crowd on the street without inviting serious attention. So they stepped out and tried to pretend to walk carefree and smiling as all other tourists did. Will offered his arm to Deanna, which she accepted delightedly.

The weather was warm, though the rays of the sun barely reached this last planet of the Epsilon system. The small colony was underneath a glass-dome, and they could clearly see the starry sky above them. They must have used some basic weather control to regulate the temperature, because it was plain that the sun could not have provided enough heat. It was a technology not unknown on Earth at around the end of the 21st century, only most of the planet could not afford it. Seemingly Epsilon Four could. Behind the line of shops and small buildings, Will suddenly spotted the sea. It was calm and deep blue, almost black, reflecting the stars above, while the sand was white and soft-looking. The contrast of the two was an enchanting sight.

"Idyllic, isn't it?" Deanna asked, and her voice reflected her surprise at the small paradise.

Will nodded and suddenly felt very much like taking a vacation here. With Deanna.

But then suddenly, something caught his eye, and he stopped short. "Idyllic. Except for that!" he nodded toward the huge billboard frowning.

"Isn't that-" Deanna started gaping.

"Yes, that's Mr. Mils." he growled.

The billboard had Earl's face on it, and the red label over it read: "The plan of Mils." Underneath in smaller letters, there was the explanation: "Earl Mils, the leader of the Resistance is planning to migrate millions of aliens on Epsilon Territory. They will pose as humans, but their culture, religion and genetics are radically different. Do you really want to let him contaminate our race? Do you really want to let him win? Help the fight! Report all suspicious activities to the authorities and protect the purity of the human race of Epsilon Four!"

Will stopped and frowned furiously at the billboard "How can people live like that?! How can they let themselves be mislead by so obvious lies? Are all of them racists?" he growled frustrated.

Deanna squeezed his arm soothingly, where she held on to him "No, Will." As they started to walk again, she explained "Fear spread by such an intense propaganda can scare even the most liberal thinking person. They're not racists. They're only scared to death and made to believe that only a strong leader can protect them."

Will shook his head "Somehow I don't feel like having a vacation anymore. Let's get to the hotel and be done with our business." he mumbled crankily, and they quickened their pace.

In a few minutes, they reached the end of the promenade, where the enormous building of the hotel stood. It was mostly made of glass, you could look through the walls of the hall, where the reception worked behind a long counter. Deanna and Will walked in turning their heads curiously around. The building WAS impressive, they didn't have to pretend that they were amazed.

"Welcome to the Hotel Danubius!" they suddenly heard from their side, and they jumped startled at the sudden greeting.

It came from a tall, thin, young man with fair hair, a rather childlike face and a huge, friendly smile on his lips. He was in a set of clothes that seemed to be the uniform of the hotel, with a badge printed on his pocket with the logo of the facility. He giggled apologetically, seeing their sudden scare "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, my dears."

Will let out a breath, seeing that the stranger was only doing his job "No problem. We were just-"

The young man extended a hand to him cutting in "I'm Emmett, a host at the Danubius. Very nice to meet you!" he grinned shaking Will's hand "Welcome to our humble facility! If you could tell me the purpose of your journey, I'd be happy to the moon and back to assist you with anything you need!" he gave one last squeeze to Will's hand, holding it for just a little bit longer than it was comfortable for the still perplexed Commander.

"We're just-" Deanna began, but the enthusiastic host cut in again - he seemed to like talking very much.

"If you're here to spend your vacation, please let me escort you to the reception where you can check in at my very good friend, Ted!" he pointed to the reception where a short, black haired man smiled kindly at them. Emmett waved to him then went on. "If you have an appointment at our clinic, then you'll need to go through there. I'd be overjoyed to escort you there too." he pointed towards a broad glass door.

"Clinic?" Deanna snapped her head towards him wide-eyed.

"Oh, yes! We have a professional beauty-clinic operating in our hotel. You take your vacation, and when you're finished, you go home to Epsilon Four as if you were reborn! Here!" he almost literally flew over to a small table where brochures and other advertising material lay about. He brought some brochures back to them, and Deanna and Will started to page through them absently as he kept on talking "Would it be a nose-job, or a liposuction? Some botox, perhaps? No, problem!" he turned to Deanna "Or perhaps you're in need of some more... khm attention from your dear husband?" When Deanna looked at him confused, he made a motion in front of his chest as if he was rounding invisible breasts. Deanna gaped and stared at Will.

But it seemed Will got caught up in that brochure he held: "Well, there are SOME stuff here that'd get MY attention..." he mumbled with a wide smile. Emmett grinned as Deanna stepped up to him and seeing the ladies with those enormous tits in the brochure who caught Will's attention, she frowned irritated. She forcefully took the small book out of his hand and then slapped him on the arm with it as hard as she could.

"Hey, honey! I was just checking out the possibilities!" he objected to the treatment nursing his arm.

"Have some manners already!" she scolded him with her fists on her hips.

Emmett laughed and put a soothing hand on both of their arms "I wouldn't want to cause a tiff for the world! Oh, by the way, we also happen to have excellent couple-therapists who could help you find a healthy compromise in this matter! Maybe not D, but C perhaps?" he asked and managed to remain so innocent that Will couldn't help but grin as he imagined Deanna with a cup-size of D!

"Well, sweetie pie, we need to consider this kind man's advice, now don't we?" he asked her - half way pulling her leg, and half finding a good reason to check out that clinic, AND get into the facility.

Deanna then suddenly seemed to change tactics. She composed her features and smiled a seducing smile "Well, sweetie pie, I believe we already have decided on just who's in need of a plastic surgery job from the two of us, and it's not me."

"Oh?" Will's face suddenly straightened, realizing that it would be difficult to refute Deanna in front of a stranger.

She stepped up to him "Yes!" she replied on a sweet voice "Remember, sugar? We agreed, that you won't get cold feet, when we get here and go along with it!"

Will remained silent, not daring to ask - unlike the curious Emmett "Oh, may I pry about your plans? I might recommend a doctor, a specialist tailored for your needs, if you haven't had an appointment yet!" he asked eager to help.

"Sure, Emmett, that would be the best." she slipped her arms around Will's waist "Actually, in the last couple of years, my husband gained a little... excessive weight. I'm sure you notice as well." Will stared at her with his eyes wide as two saucers as she went on "As you can see, nothing dramatic, but... you know, how this is with age." another look of daggers from Will "It's more and more difficult to lose it." She finally glanced at her partner and acknowledged with a satisfied grin, that she was taking an affect. She then slipped a hand to Will's stomach and patted it gently - and he shrank away from her touch as if he was hit with a baseball bat there, and not teasingly patted. Deanna just went on still talking to Emmett only "I'm sure you could recommend a way to quickly and easily get rid of it."

"Oh, but of course! We have a Doctor Schmitt working with us, who is an expert of liposuction! I can assure you, that excess won't come back, EVER, if you check in with him!" he leaned to Deanna conspiringly "Actually, don't tell anyone that I've told you this, but Ted, the friend of mine, at the reception? He had his butts done last year by him! This year, he had the perfect beach-body!" She grinned, and he straightened "Believe me, you won't regret it!" he told Will patting his upper arm - then before taking his hand away, he squeezed his grip as if he wanted to measure the man's biceps. At this, Will's brows ran up his forehead, but before he could object, Emmett smiled at them again "If you could follow me, I'll assist you in checking in to the clinic. This way!" he motioned toward the broad glass-doors, and they started to walk, Will and Deanna still arm in arm.

"Stop sulking already, sweetie pie!" Deanna whispered to him still half-way pulling his leg, gently squeezing his arm.

"You never said you consider me fat!" Will grumbled still seemingly hurt "Okay, I'm not as skinny as Data, but I never thought that was your type!"

She smiled up at him lovingly "Skinny is definitely not my type, Imzadi!" she whispered then her smile broadened "You know what Emma told me about men below the weight of one-hundred kilos?"

"Something really profound I presume." he grimaced still not feeling like joking.

She chuckled "That a man below a hundred is just a Christmas-tree ornament!"

At this, a chuckle rippled through Will. He stopped, looking down at her, then wordlessly leaned to her and gave her a small, close-mouthed kiss on the lips. Deanna didn't object, only smiled silently at it.

By the time they stopped at the reception of the clinic, Will was in a much better mood. Emmett then gave them a check-in form:

"Please, fill this in, while I quickly check if Doctor Schmitt is available to see you now!"

"Thank you!" Will grumbled, and as Emmett leaned close to him, he looked at him suspiciously.

"By the way," the young man started on a low voice "I also prefer bears above twinks. If you'd excuse me!" he straightened and hurried away. Will and Deanna gazed after him actually pretty amused.

However, in a matter of minutes, Will started to be very frustrated again. This time, with the form: it seemed they were interested even in the smallest detail, and though they prepared themselves cover-personalities, they haven't decided on the names of their great-grand-parents...

He let out a long breath and massaged the back of his neck. Seeing her still amused smile, he looked at her bemused "You know, if we went with that boobie-job he recommended first, YOU'd have to do this, not me."

Deanna raised a sarcastic eyebrow at this "Yes, it would have been extremely wise to have ME checked out by a doctor, who'd determine that I'm half-betazoid in about a second."

Will grimaced knowing that she was right. Emmett finally got back to them by the time he finished, and escorted them to the doctor's office. At the door, Deanna stopped short.

"Is something the matter, my dear?" Emmett asked concerned.

"No, no, I just need to refresh myself, that's all."

"Ah, of course!" Emmett smiled kindly and jumped to her side putting an arm around her shoulders "You see that corridor over there?"

"Yes?"

"Just walk up till the end and turn right. There will be two doors. The one to the left is the lady's room. You can't miss it!"

"Thank you, Emmett!" she smiled at the young man then looked at Will "Just go in, sweetie, and start without me. I'll catch you up in no time!"

"Of course! And don't worry about your husband, I'll take good care of him!" Emmett declared smiling charmingly at Will, who despite himself suddenly blushed. They went in as Deanna disappeared at the end of the corridor.

* * *

In the restroom, Deanna locked herself up in one of the compartments and took out her tricorder. She pushed a few buttons and started scanning around. In a matter of moments, she had a map of the building. Strangely enough, the runabout's scanners could not get a clear sweep of the building, so they couldn't simply beam in and beam out of the data-center. But it seemed the scanning worked from here alright. She fetched out her emergency transporter armband of her bag and entered the coordinates of the basement.

She appeared on a dark deserted corridor a moment later. She started scanning again to look for a place with high electrical energy usage: she knew a data-center consumed a lot of it, and it should have registered on her tricorder. But nothing of the kind did! She hurriedly walked through the dark corridor to arrive into a half-lit one. She scanned again - still nothing. Were the documents stating that the data-center was located under this hotel false then?! They came this far for nothing? Her heart drummed in her chest as she finally found a door at the far end of this corridor. She scanned it, and though it still not registered as something with high energy consumption, she had no other choice: it was the only door on the corridor. She ran to it and tried to open it - of course it was closed.

She took out her tricorder to scan it: the lock was a simple magnetic lock, nothing heavily secure compared to their 24th century standards. She took out her phaser and shot the lock. It gave way with a loud click. She glanced around alarmed, but she was still all alone.

She entered the room. It was pitch-dark, and the air was dusty and stale. She scanned with her tricorder, and found a switch on the wall. She groped about for a few seconds before her hand encountered with the small projection standing out, and finally she turned on the lights. She then stood there gaping, petrified at the sight.

The room was a data-center alright, but only by the standards of the Middle-Ages. The files were all on paper in large folders and dossiers. Most of them weren't even in cabinets, simply piled up on tables and desks.

"Oh, my god..." she whispered as she stepped further inside.

The tricorder, she knew, should have been able to record and analyse images coming from a paper medium. However, she never tested whether it worked on piles and piles of paper. She didn't have any choice: she took the tricorder and started to scan.

In a few minutes, she knew she was taking too long, but the whole snooping around had no point, if she missed just the files she needed. Nonetheless, her heart was pounding in her chest, and her hands trembled as she pushed the buttons of her instrument. It took over ten minutes to finish, and she was not sure whether the data would be legible. She put the tricorder away, and hurried to the door.

She literally bumped into Emmett, and they both jumped back scared to death. The young man held a small gun in his shaking hand and pointed it on Deanna - though he was trembling so much that she was not sure his bullet would ever hit her, had he fired the gun.

"Hands up!" he commanded on a high-pitched voice, and Deanna could feel that he was a lot more scared than she was.

But she played along, she obeyed "I don't want to harm you, Emmett!" she told him on a low, calm voice.

"So th-the billboards are telling the truth! The Resistance is real, and you're trying to take over power." he declared stuttering "A-are you an alien disguised as a human?"

She decided to go with the truth "I'm half-betazoid, Emmett. And I won't harm you, just let me leave." she asked taking a small step toward him.

He held the gun more firmly at this "I-I'll shoot you, if you dare move!"

Deanna felt she could have laughed out loud at this, but she swallowed the sensation and just gave him a small smile "We both know you wouldn't be able to kill a fly!"

Emmett frowned seemingly insulted: "That's not true! Beneath the gentle surface, there's a savage tiger!" Deanna giggled softly to which he added "I wouldn't have to kill you anyways, I just have to-to hit your leg or arm or... Ah, who am I kidding?" he asked finally tired of the mindgame AND holding the gun straight ahead for such a long time. He lowered his arm resignedly.

Deanna smiled gratefully "Thank you!"

He held up his hands defensively "Don't thank me! I haven't seen you here - I haven't seen anybody here! I wasn't even here in the first place! But then move it, cause I'd have to report that you went missing in about two minutes, if I don't want to get arrested myself."

Deanna jumped to him and gave a gentle squeeze to his arm "Thank you for not being here and not seeing me!" she told him to which he smiled back shyly.

"Take good care of that bear of yours! A-And! If you really want him to lose his pouch, just don't let him eat after six!"

She chuckled "I'll remember that! Take care of yourself, Emmett!" she said and tapping her transporter armband disappeared into thinair in a moment.

She appeared in the toilette compartment she started out from, put away the transporter band and tidying her hair stepped out into the corridor. In the next moment, she was grabbed from behind and dragged back into the rest room. She tried to scream, but it dawned on her that it'd be pointless given that she wouldn't have any allies here anyways!

"Don't shout, Deanna! It's me!" she heard the hushed voice of Will Riker in the next moment, and she swirled around to look at him disbelievingly.

"Will! What are you-"

"After ten minutes, the situation became a little uncomfortable in there. Not only because the doc was asking me about whether I want some botox in my butt to make it as tight as it used to be in my twenties, but also because our eager companion kept on looking at his watch. When he left, I was sure, he went to look for you, so I started after you too. What the hell took you so long?!"

"I got some company in the basement."

"You what?!"

"There's no time to explain everything, let's get out of here, first."

Will sighed bemused "Agreed!"

They took out their armbands and tapped in the coordinates to get back on the runabout. However, when they tried to beam out, they had the same problem as beaming into the building.

Deanna shook her head "They must use some sort of shielding around the hotel!"

"Not a technology widely popular in the 21st century given that transporters were not invented yet! But it's only a matter of detail." Will shrugged.

"Let's get out of the building! It should work outside." Deanna suggested.

Will nodded, and they stepped to the door. She stuck her head out in the crack of the door, and when she was sure no one was on the corridor, they stepped out. They hurried over to the hall where they spotted Emmett and several police man and security guards. Emmett was shaking his head gesturing widely, then as he spotted them, he stared right at them. The police noticed as well and turned towards them - and Will knew that was it!

"Run, Deanna!" he shouted, and they started to run as if devil was in their toes. Will took out his phaser and lagged a little behind to cover Deanna. In the next moment, the sharp sound of a gun shot cut through the gentle, ambient music played in the background. People started to scream and bolt sideways everywhere around them.

Will turned and stunned the police officer nearest to them.

"Don't stop!" he shouted to her as she looked back at him visibly scared.

She took out her phaser too, and stunned the two guards standing in the entrance, trying to block their way. Too late! The gates had already been blocked by thick bars from floor to ceiling. They stopped short and turned back to see that the police were only a few meters away. And another shot only missed Deanna by a few centimeters. Will turned back and adjusting his phaser, shot at the bars one by one. The metal heated up and disappeared after a few seconds. When they had a wide enough hole, he pushed Deanna through.

"Will!" she turned back scared that he had some crazy idea on his mind of lagging behind to protect her, but he jumped right after her, and they kept on running on the busy promenade.

To their utter shock, the shots didn't seize! The police kept firing at them, even though the promenade was full of people. They were screaming and running about panic-stricken - and bleeding! Some of them trampled over others...

Will pushed away the tenth pedestrian from their way "The armband, Deanna!" he shouted over to her.

She was already pushing the buttons on hers "It should work!" she declared seeing the clear lock indicator on the display.

"Then what are you waiting for?!"

She obeyed and pressed the button to beam out. Just as she disappeared, she could see Will falling to the ground as two burly pedestrian knocked into him one after the other.

His armband fell out of his hand. He reached out for it, but somebody stepped on his hand. He growled in pain and instinctively nursed his hand in the other.

"Are you looking for this?" he heard from above him, and as he turned, he saw a police officer holding up his armband. In his other hand, he held a gun.

Will's expression hardened with determination.

* * *

Deanna appeared in the runabout command room scared to death for Will's life. She ran to the console and tapped the keys to scan the area she'd just left.

"Computer! Scan for Commander Riker's lifesigns! Emergency beam-up!" she commanded, but the computer shattered her hopes.

"Scan negative. Unable to lock on to signal."

Oh, my god... Was he...? She could have sensed it, if he was... No! He was alive! Was he taken back to the hotel?! She had to beam back for him! "Computer, beam me back to the exact coordinates-"

But in the next moment, the familiar light of the transporter sparkled behind her, and she turned stunned to see the shiny particles integrating into Will.

"Oh, god!" she breathed and jumped into his arms. He smiled moved and held her tightly to him.

"Going somewhere?" he asked mumbling into her hair. She didn't answer, and he knew she'd been terrified "I'm here..." he whispered soothingly "A little battered, and FAT. But I'm here!"

A chuckle rippled through her body, and she pulled away to look into his eyes.

"What do I see here? Somebody was worried for me!" he teased her gently, stroking her long dark strands.

She self-consciously stepped out of his arms "Not so much worried. Rather I was not sure how to explain to the captain that I lost his Number One." she shrugged walking up to the seats and then smiled at him flirtatiously from there.

He grinned shaking his head and after a moment, joined her, sitting next to her. He tapped the console "Setting course back to the Enterprise. Warp six. Engage."

She leaned back in her seat letting out a long breath as she felt the exhaustion finally catching up on her.

"So what was it that you found?" he asked now really curious. She turned her head to him, then straightened in her chair, and after some fumbling in her bag, she took out the tricorder.

"I hope it'll be legible." she mumbled as she hooked up the tricorder to the runabout's computer "The files were not digital. They were all printed out on paper, filed away in folders." she explained, and Will raised his eyebrows surprised in response.

"Download complete." the computer declared.

"Computer! Analyse files and find all references for Edmond Jones." Deanna commanded.

"Processing. Displaying information in order of appearance in referenced files."

"Let's see." she leaned forward to the screen.

A lot of medical files came up with Jones as the subject, most of them were related to the very clinic they had just visited.

"Looks like he was a regular patient there." Will remarked reading the displayed information.

"But what is this that he was having done there?" she squinted reading the medical procedure.

"Top secret, it reads." Will raised his eyebrows "Why would medical files be so confidential?"

"Bone reduction of the temporal part of the skull, and hair transplantation on the same area." she read out loud "A very particular plastic surgery. Not a simple liposuction or botox that would be repeated from time to time." she said thoughtfully.

"All the more strange, because he seemed to have this done every singular year. Look at the dates."

She gazed at him now really puzzled "Why would anybody need bone reduction of his temples done every year?"

"Don't ask me, ask Premier Jones. Maybe he is not only a sadist, he also likes pain inflicted ON him." he told her shrugging just as puzzled as she was.

"Computer. Is there a medical condition that would warrant such a procedure to be done every year?" Deanna asked.

"No known disease or condition would require this particular procedure repeatedly on a human."

"On a human..." she whispered as a very unsettling thought struck her.

Will looked at her with a raised eyebrow "Are you thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking?"

She looked into his eyes "Could it be..." she whispered and then addressed the computer again "Is there a humanoid race, that would have to undergo this procedure in order to pose as a human?" she asked.

"Processing."

"Oh, yes, you were thinking what I was..." Will mumbled grinning though he had to admit: it was unbelievable to even imagine that someone would go that far to rule a small colony of humans...

"Positive match."

Their heads shot up shocked. "Show us, computer!" Will ordered, his smile disappeared as if it never was on his face.

A white-haired alien appeared on the screen with a pronounced hairless bulge at the sides of his skull at his temples, as the computer explained:

"The procedure described could be used to pose as a human by a member of the Ullian race. The procedure needs to be repeated at least annually, because the bone tissue regenerates underneath the skin of the subject at such a rate."

Deanna grew visibly pale "Ullian. He's a Ullian!" she whispered on a distressed voice shaking her head in disbelief.

Will frowned remembering the race from years before "Ullian, as in the creepy telepaths who wanted to construct a library of memories of all species?"

She looked into his eyes "And one of them mind-raping us five years ago. Yes." she got up from her chair and started to pace the small room "It was all so familiar!" she whispered "That cold, cruel touch of his mind! Just as Jev's! How did I not recognize it?" she asked upset.

He got up too seeing that she was in the process of getting caught up in her distress.

"Deanna, how could you have known?" he asked standing opposite her.

She stopped and stared into his eyes "How?! Jev raped my mind! I should have remembered where I felt such a dark touch of a mind, immediately!" she told him and was about to go on pacing, but he stopped her.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop this, will you?" he asked catching her by her upper arms and making her look into his eyes "Deanna. If all this is true, he's a strong telepath capable of doing horrible harm to other people's minds. I'm pretty sure he is puppet-mastering the Admiral using his telepathic skills, and knowing what we just learned, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd blocked your memories so you wouldn't recognize him for WHAT he is." he rubbed her arms gently seeing her slowly giving in to his gentle comfort "And I'm pretty sure your nightmares are not incidental either..."

She looked into his eyes and suddenly, felt her throat close "Emma was his wife for a decade. What could he have done to her during that time, if he was able to cause me such distress in a few days?" she asked on a breaking voice finally, understanding Emma's overwhelming fear and distress every singular time her husband was mentioned.

Will let his arms drop to his sides slouching. He let out a long breath as he bowed his head "I don't know, Imzadi." he whispered, then gazed into her eyes guiltily again "But I swear to you on one thing. I'll never call her shrew, ever in my life again!"

They held gazes for a long moment before she sighed - she somehow felt a huge relief simply by knowing the truth. "Let's go home and get rid of that monster!"

* * *

 **A/N: Ullians appeared only once in TNG, in the episode _Violations_. (Not a very good or nice episode of the series for that matter...) To tell you a small secret about the process of creating Edmond's character, at first, I wanted him to be a Betazoid. (In chapter 18, Ed is described as having deep-brown eyes, which could have been "retconned" later on as black.) But since they've always been depicted as a very positive, nice race, I didn't have the heart to change that. Then came the idea of using the Ullians. For one, there was this mind-rape one of them did that was bad enough, but the other two didn't exactly come across as people I'd like to have any chit-chat anytime soon either. So perfect antagonists for this story!**

 **The character of Emmett was inspired by a character with the same name from a non-SF series called _Queer as Folk_.**

 **Write a review, if you feel like, and give me some feedback: was this turn of events predictable? (Honestly, I can't really tell... :( )**


	45. Chapter 45

"Beverly!" she heard from behind as she was exiting her quarters. She turned and found Picard walking up to her on the corridor.

"Jean-Luc!" she greeted him expectantly as he stopped next to her "Have you heard back from Riker and Troi?" she asked on a low voice.

He nodded with a dead-serious expression "It seems they found something, but they were not willing to elaborate over a channel."

"What's their ETA home?"

"Around an hour." he replied, then as an officer passed them by, he motioned for her to go back to her quarters to have some privacy.

"What is it?" she asked after the door closed behind them now really curious. She could see that something else was up too, not only the secret mission to Epsilon Twelve.

The Captain took a long breath before he started on a grave voice "Beverly, I don't think there's a gentle way to break this to you, so here it is: Premier Jones received permission to take Mr. Mils and Lieutenant Jones into custody. He may take them with him to Epsilon Four any time he wishes."

Beverly gaped shocked, feeling her life sucked right out of her "No..." she breathed. After a moment of stunned silence, she turned and was about to run to sickbay - not even fully knowing what she wanted to do there, she just knew she had to do something! Anything! But he stopped her, taking her by the arm "Wait a moment, I'm not finished."

She looked at him turning back to him now visibly upset "Is there more?! My best friend is in a coma that I cannot cure, and will be taken away by her monster husband, but you say there's more?!"

"Beverly, calm down! Please..." he told her on a low but firm voice, and she took a shaky breath trying hard to fight the tears running to her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered "It's just..."

He closed the distance between them, and gently rubbed her arm out of comfort "I know, but not all is lost." as she looked at him with a faint hope in her eyes, he went on "The Federation granted Jones' petition but only partially. There was one condition of taking Emma, and that is her being conscious."

She looked at him with dread in her eyes for a long moment, before she whispered "What...?"

He bowed his head feeling horrible over what he was about to tell her "This is why I wanted to talk to you about this in private." he looked into her eyes again "I know you're working better than your best to revive her. But right at the moment, the best would be if..."

She pulled her arm out of his gentle grip bewildered "What are you saying?! You mean I have to choose between her freedom and her health?! And I'm the one to make this choice?!" she shook her head "Jean-Luc, I'm a doctor! How could I..."

"Beverly, I'm not asking you to keep her in a coma!" he pleaded "All I'm asking you is to think about taking your researches on the subject a little more easy to give us more time."

She sighed helplessly pulling her shoulders up and turning her palms upwards "For god's sake, Jean-Luc... I cannot make such a choice about anyone's life! Especially not about Emma's!" she bowed her head lowering her arms "As if I had a choice at all..." she whispered almost ashamed.

"What do you mean?" he asked frowning.

She looked at him and her expression reflected desperation, and shame as she answered on a thin voice "Oh, Jean-Luc... I-I'm out of ideas... I tried all possible revival procedures, all medications, everything." he looked at her shocked as she went on "She hasn't reacted to anything." she shook her head feeling her eyes fill with tears "She's all alone now... It now all depends on her. Whether she is willing to live and to wake up!" she whispered letting her tears fall.

He couldn't watch her being so tortured. He just couldn't. He pulled her into a firm embrace, and she mumbled against his shoulder in a sob "What am I gonna say to Data?" she asked "How could I tell him-"

But before Picard could say anything to comfort her, her combadge went off: "Ogawa to Doctor Crusher!"

They entangled from their embrace, and she wiped her face in her sleeve before answering on a choked voice "Crusher here!"

"Doctor, Premier Jones has managed to enter Lieutenant Jones' ward!" Alyssa told her panic-stricken. They stared at each other speechless for a moment, as the nurse went on "I've already told him I'd call security, but he said he had the Admiral's permission. Shou-should I call security or-"

The Captain cut in "Nurse Ogawa, this is Captain Picard! We're on our way, don't do anything!"

They turned in union and rushed out of the room.

* * *

Data was pacing his small cell nervously - he didn't think he'd ever felt this emotion before! It seemed quite a trivial kind of feeling, one that humans experienced several times a day, but he never really had any reason to feel it till now. But now!

Would Counsellor Troi and Commander Riker find anything? Would it be enough to stop Premier Jones? And how come Doctor Crusher didn't find a way to revive Emma? Why was there no change in her condition? He sighed eyeing the panel on the wall: he wanted so much to just break out of here and...

And? And then what? Take her away? Away from the only place she could have a hope to be cured? What if they were caught? He'd surely never see her again - lying in pieces in the Daystrom Institute. He turned and walked to the other side of the room: what took the Commander and Counsellor so long? What if they wouldn't find a thing? What then? Ah... he sat back on his berth and drummed with his fingers on the mat. What then?

His agonizing inner debate was interrupted by the opening of the brig door at the far end of the corridor. Frowning, he stood slowly and stepped to the forcefield to see who was coming. He was stunned to see Earl Mils led by two security guards into the cell opposite his, and locked up behind a forcefield. The guards then walked back up to the entrance, where their on-duty colleague sat, and they started to talk silently.

Data turned his head to look at the old man, who seemed to be watching him with a hard expression.

"Mr. Mils. Why were you brought here?" he asked, and Earl had to admit, he rarely had seen the innocence in a grown man, that Data displayed while asking that simple question.

Earl spread his arms cocking his head with a bitter smile "Our mutual friend wanted you to be in good company. I hope I don't disappoint you."

Data frowned understanding that the old man was not serious, simply joked sarcastically. However, there was a taunting edge to his voice, which he couldn't comprehend. "I do not understand." he said finally.

A mirthless chuckle rippled through Earl's thin lips "Of course you don't... May I ask you a question too, Mr. Data?"

The android nodded cocking his head in perplexed curiosity "Of course, Sir."

Earl stepped up to the forcefield and looked into his eyes with an unforgiving glint in his own "What the hell are you still doing here?" he hissed.

Data's frown deepened with his confusion. He shook his head "I don't-"

"You have the ability to break from here. To get yourself and Emma off this ship, out of harms way, into freedom. And yet... You've spent your last three days here, doing what? Defragmenting your filesystem? Or archiving memory dumps? Or simply enjoying a good theoretical debate. By Plato or Socrates perhaps?"

Data shook his head again, getting more and more bewildered with every word the older man uttered "Mr. Mils! How could I?! Emma needs the best medical care she can get, and Doctor Crusher is better than the best! There's no reason to deprive Emma of her exceptional expertise. Premier Jones has no power to do anything against her here, on the Enterprise. Mr. Mils, I know you haven't had the fortune to live under Federational legislature for the past few years, but Emma is protected by Federation law just as the rest of us! No one can harm her as long as she is on the Enterprise! No one!"

Earl gaped at this seemingly really stunned: "You do believe that, don't you?" he whispered and after a moment, took a few paces away from the forcefield. He took a slow circle in his cell pondering on this grimly.

Data's eyes wandered over to the guards - they were still talking, it seemed they didn't really care that they were having a conversation too.

"Mr. Data." he heard Earl's voice again. This time it was calmer, and that unfamiliar taunting edge to it was gone.

"Yes, Mr. Mils."

"You asked me why I was brought here." to Data's nod he went on patiently "Premier Jones handed in a petition based on an existing Treaty of Rendition between the Federation and the government of Epsilon Four. Today, he was granted the right to take me into custody, to take me back to Epsilon Four, where I can by tried, prosecuted and finally sentenced most probably to death."

Data gaped at him shocked, and Earl had a sneaking suspicion that if he had the ability, he would have grown pale - paler than he already was, he thought wryly. He stepped back to the forcefield and locked his gray gaze to the android's golden one.

"Federation law ceased to be in effect the moment Jones set foot on the Enterprise. Weren't you there too at the meeting, where he managed to talk himself out of all the incriminating evidence? Even of doing business with Romulans!" he demanded now on a hard voice.

Data shook his head still clinging to his belief in the very system he was raised in - and mostly in his family's power to protect them "Mr. Mils, Premier Jones managed to do that only because he has the Admiral's trust! Captain Picard is working hard to find out how he can manipulate our superior like that! He'll never allow you to be taken away under such circumstances! Please, trust him!"

"Trust him." Earl nodded raising a sceptical eyebrow "Do you trust him?"

"Yes!"

"Even with my life?"

Data let out a long breath feeling frustration building in his neural net "Mr. Mils... Please... This is..."

Earl cut in wanting to get an answer - and a decision already: "Just answer the question! Would you trust your Captain's ability to fight Premier Jones, if the thing at stake was my very life?"

Data looked straight into his eyes: "Mr. Mils. I'd trust him with MY life - I already have several times. You can trust him too!"

"Aha... And what about Emma?"

Data frowned suspicious "What do you mean?"

"Would you trust your Captain to be able to protect even Emma? If it's HER life that's at stake?" Earl demanded, and as Data looked at him visibly torn, he finally felt, it was time he drew his point home "I'm asking because mine was not the only name on that petition, Mr. Data."

Data stood there with his mouth open, he didn't move, didn't blink - probably didn't even draw a breath as he finally understood what the old man was implying. "No..." he heard himself whisper.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Data! THIS is Premier Jones' world! THESE are his rules! That there are no rules! No moral! Nothing can stop him to reach his goals! He wants to take his wife home? He does that! Does he have to make her a criminal and drag her home by force? No problem!"

"No!" Data uttered with clear desperation written all over his features. He shook his head in denial "Mr. Mils, this is impossible! The Federation couldn't have granted him the right to take a coma patient anywhere! This is impossible!"

"A matter of detail! Do you really think, it would take him much to find a way to go around that little detail too?! For god's sake, he had YOU, a Starfleet officer arrested! Don't you feel his manipulations on your own skin?!" his hands came up into fists feeling frustration wash over him seeing a man with the abilities to save all of them - but not believing his own eyes, that he had to make a move! "Wake up, already! You're not on a Federation starship anymore! Not even in the 24th century! You're on Edmond Jones' personal playground! At the very center of it, no less! Why do you think he pushed you out of the picture the very first opportunity he had?! You were in his way to Emma! What more are you waiting for to happen to believe your eyes?!"

Earl's hard voice was loud enough to finally draw the attention of the guards. One of them walked up to them, and Earl stepped back from the forcefield.

"You're not allowed to talk to the Commander!" the guard declared standing opposite him, and Earl raised his hand apologetically.

"I know, I'm sorry!" he said sitting down wearily on the berth.

Data took this in only at the periphery of his senses. He just stood there feeling his heart beat quicken as panic spread around in his neural net. Jones WILL take Emma away! He'll have his way again! The way he always had! He'll possess her again! And this time, she doesn't even have the ability to at least try to defend herself! No! He could not allow this to happen! He could not allow Jones to continue his machinations! No.

He raised his head determined and jumped to the panel he knew contained the key to his freedom. He tore the lid up effortlessly and threw it away in one motion.

"Commander! What are you doing?!" the guard shouted at him, but before he took the few steps to his cell, Data had already reordered the isolinear chips, pushed a button on the panel, and the forcefield disappeared.

The guard stopped short, shocked at the stunt, but he didn't have more than a moment to contemplate his misfortune: Data jumped him, and using the Vulcan nerve-pinch on his shoulder, knocked him out.

"Hey!" he heard from the front of the brig corridor, and a moment later, the familiar sound of a phaser flared up - set only to stun. It hit him, but it couldn't stop him. In a few leaps - and a few more shots hitting him - he grabbed the gun in the hand of the guard. The young man looked up at him with dread in his eyes, as Data took his gun away and simply squeezed his fist, crushing the phaser into a shapeless piece of metal.

He then looked over at the other Ensign - a female just as young as the others "I believe you do not need further persuasion to cooperate." She simply dropped the gun staring at her once commanding officer wide-eyed. Data looked at them with calm eyes "I do not wish to incapacitate you. Despite what you might be thinking, I detest violence. So please, hand over your combadges and then walk into the cell I've been occupying in the last few days."

They obeyed without making a sound. Data activated the forcefield over them, then walked to Earl's cell, and let him out.

"That was pretty impressive!" the old man complemented stepping over the threshold.

"I'm not proud of committing mutiny, Mr. Mils!" Data declared as he picked up the unconscious guard effortlessly "I simply realized that you're right." he admitted as he lay the Ensign on the berth of Earl's cell. He then activated the forcefield, and they walked up to the computer console at the far end of the brig corridor.

"There's a monitoring system in use, that notifies the bridge-crew, if a brig cell should be occupied, but it's vacant for longer than a few cycles. With placing my once-colleagues behind the forcefield, we bought ourselves some time - but not a lot." Data explained as he pushed the buttons with amazing speed.

"What are you doing?" Earl asked now really getting curious.

"I'm rerouting the transporter commands to this console, so that we can activate the site-to-site functions from here. Needless to say, it'd be inadvisable for us to walk about on the corridors. I'll also get rid of the transporter logs." he pushed the last button, then looked around, and seeing the phaser one of the guards dropped still lying on the ground, he bent down for it and picked it up. He then looked at Earl and handed the gun to him.

"Precaution? Or plan-B?" Earl asked raising a suspicious eyebrow taking the gun into his pocket.

"As you may have just seen, Mr. Mils, I am capable of defending myself without the advantages of a gun, but you might make use of it. It's set to stun. I'd like to ask you to keep it that way."

"Will do. Thanks..."

"Let's go." Data commanded and reached down to the console to activate the transporter.

"Eh, Mr. Data!" Earl touched the android's arm to stop him for a second. Data looked at him surprised, and the old man gave him a small smile "Wouldn't you think we'd be more effective as a team in our little rescue mission, if we dropped the formalities?" Data went on blinking at him with his usual deadpan expression, and Earl extended a hand "I'm Earl."

After a moment, the android took his hand with mild surprise on his features and shook it "Data." his lips curled upward for a second before releasing the hand in his. He then reached down and touched the button that made them disappear into tiny, shining particles.


	46. Chapter 46

Emma opened her eyes only slowly as the light of the sun shone brightly on her bed. She blinked sleepily trying to figure out where she was. She frowned as she realized she was in the residence. It was their bedroom with Edmond! And a chill ran over her as she realized that she lay there all naked except for the thin white sheet around her - and she was not alone!

How could she be here?! Was this some twisted dream?! But it all felt so real!

The man behind her suddenly moved and slid his arms around her body. Emma froze to the spot as she felt his breath in her ear.

She sat up and turned to face the man in one bed with her - but she was all alone! She turned her head around alarmed at this. Her heart drummed in her chest. She knew he was there! She could feel it - feel him! Where was he?!

She jumped out of the bed with the sheet tightly wrapped around her, and ran to the closet to find some clothes. She had to get away from here! She opened the door of the closet - but it was all empty. She opened the drawers of the cupboards randomly looking for ANYTHING to wear, but found nothing inside of them, whereas she knew they all should have been full of her clothes. She suddenly heard the opening of the door and swirled around - only to find herself in a huge hall.

She looked down at herself taken aback: the sheet changed into a tight, white dress leaving her shoulders bare, just as the sheet had. She placed her palm on the skirt of the dress and felt its familiar, silky material. She knew this dress! It was her wedding dress! She raised her head and realized that she was not alone in that hall anymore. She looked at the crowd gathered: there were all her friends from Epsilon Four! All of them! - But it was all wrong! These people couldn't have been at her wedding! Gabriel, Gary, Earl and his son... she hadn't even known them at that time! And the three other Starfleet officers that stayed on Epsilon Four after it broke away from the Federation... They never knew the people of the Resistance - they died before they could have got to know them...

So this WAS a dream, she finally acknowledged. A twisted, sick dream... But why, just why didn't it end?!

She then felt strong arms coming up about her from behind. She looked down at her stomach in distress, where she felt the touch - only to find a huge deep red patch growing on her white dress! The arms held her firmly as the patch consumed the skirt of her dress just to let her go when the pain came, and she collapsed onto the ground soundlessly, not even having the strength to scream.

Turning onto her back, she found herself on a bed. She knew the surroundings, it was a hospital ward.

She felt her eyes fill with tears. Is this never gonna end?!

She was all alone again. All alone except for that shadow that never let her go! Not even after she left the very planet, when for a short time, she actually believed she'd left him behind for good! But he was there! He was ALWAYS there!

Earl, Beverly, Data! Anybody?! "Where are you?" she breathed feeling her hot tears roll down her temples, and she closed her eyes.

"They're all a dream, chérie!" she heard his low voice, full of pleasure she knew he felt over her suffering. Feeling his weight above her, she opened her eyes in desperation just to find Edmond looking down at her, watching her intensely. He lay above her, on top of her, pressing her body onto the bed - she felt she couldn't even breath from his weight.

She shook her head defiant "No!" she moaned, and tried to push him away, but he put a firm hand on her shoulder and kept her lying underneath him.

"Yes, they are! They never existed! You just hoped you could escape, and your fantasy created them!" he slid his hand from her shoulder to cup her cheek "But you cannot escape, ma chérie. You're mine! And mine alone!"

He leaned close and pressed his lips to hers firmly. She had no strength to try to break free, and just whimpered helplessly with her eyes wide shut praying for this torture to finally end.

When he released her, and her eyes fluttered open, the scene changed again. It was dark all around them, only some faint lights blinked in the background - and his weight was not suffocating her anymore. The only sound was their breathing, and the constant chirping of the computer - in rhythm with her heartbeat, she realized. From the taste of the recycled air, she knew: she was no longer on the planet! This was the Enterprise!

She could still feel his breath on her lips - wet, she realized from his deadly kiss - and her gaze was still chained to his as if she had no chance to break away. Slowly, a scream welled up in her throat as she stared right into his dark eyes and felt herself drawn into a bottomless chasm - that chasm she knew all too well...

"You're mine, chérie!" he whispered "You're mine to wake. And you're mine to take home!"

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out!

* * *

When the Captain and Beverly arrived at Emma's ward, they found Jones still at her bed side. But they took this in only at the periphery of their sight as their gazes were glued to the woman lying on the biobed - her eyes were open!

Emma was looking up at her husband full of dread and defiance in her gaze, though she had no strength to move or to speak. Beverly's eyes wandered to the monitors around them, and her heart skipped a beat: Emma's lifesigns were strong and within normal parameters.

"You're awake..." she breathed on a shaky whisper feeling her eyes fill with tears as Emma finally tilted her head a little to look from her husband to her, and Beverly finally locked gazes with her beloved friend for the first time after four long days of agonizing worry.

"Yes! She's awake!" Jones declared breaking the magic between the two ladies.

Jones stood there with the expression of the statue of the most faithful husband ever born - the husband who'd arrest his own wife just to possess her, Beverly thought, and her blood boiled.

Picard took a step toward the man "Premier Jones, you know you're not allowed to be here. Leave now, and let the Lieutenant rest!" he asked on a silent but relentless voice.

Beverly's temper blew before Jones could have answered "I've told you a hundred times! Don't dare come anywhere near her!" she hissed stepping up opposite him "Now get the hell out!"

Jones simply raised his eyebrows challengingly "Exactly your mindless need to keep me away from her hindered her improvement! I've told you, the voice of a loved one can reach even a coma patient, and it would do her good, if I was allowed to be with her! And here she is! Awake and healthy! But you're so blind in your hatred towards me, that you'd sooner see Emma dead - or worse, at the side of a machine than letting her own husband spend even one moment with her!"

Beverly's hands came up into fists, and Picard stepped between the two of them "That's far enough, Premier Jones. I'm not asking you any more times. Leave! Now." he told the man on a dangerously low voice.

Jones stared into his eyes defiant for a long moment, before he conceded "I'll leave. For now. But I'm coming back soon!" he went around them to the door and turned back from there to look at his wife once again "Till then, prepare yourself, ma chérie. You're coming home with your husband today."

Emma had no strength to reply, she simply shut her eyes feeling utterly exhausted.

As soon as he was gone, Beverly stepped to Emma's side and fought the urge to be a friend before she could be a doctor: she took a tricorder in hand and scanned her thoroughly.

Emma's eyes slowly fluttered open and blinking tiredly, she tried to focus on Beverly's face as she was studying her results on the instrument.

"How is she?" she heard the voice of the Captain.

Beverly shook her head slightly, in astonishment "Her values are fine. She's still severly anaemic and will need a lot of rest and special nutrition in the next few weeks given that we couldn't find her a blood-donor, but... the point is, she's out of the woods."

"But how?"

"I have no idea..." Beverly whispered really stunned.

Emma frowned trying to make some sense out of what just happened and what she'd just heard, but after a few moments, she realized that with her thoughts as jumbled as they were, she needed a hand. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth "Bev..." she whispered.

Beverly looked at her, and as her worried gaze met Emma's jaded one, her throat closed, and she couldn't stand being the professional doctor any longer. She put the tricorder down and took Emma's hand in both of hers "Yes, it's me, it's me, dear!" she whispered on a tear-filled voice, squeezing her friend's hand tightly.

Emma swallowed to wet her dry throat "And your grumpy Frenchman."

A chuckle rippled through Beverly's lips "Yes, and my grumpy Frenchman." she sniffled trying to swallow her tears as she turned to the Captain who stood there with a stoic expression on his emotionless face.

He then remarked with some sarcasm "Well, I'm relieved to see that your ability to make snarky comments was not impaired, Lieutenant Jones."

Beverly chuckled and wiped her wet face. Then before either of the ladies could answer, his combadge went off, and he was called to the Bridge.

"Take your time to rest, Ms. Jones." he told her from the threshold "I'll come by later, and I'll make sure, Premier Jones wouldn't bother you again." he promised and left.

"Wouldn't bother me... for how long..." Emma breathed and turned her head away with a resigned expression.

Beverly could see that Emma was still under the effect of her husband's devastating visit, and she needed to sooth her. She gently stroked her hair and held on to her hand in hers. "Hey... If the Captain says he won't bother you again, then he won't."

Emma turned her head back to look into her eyes "Why am I here?" she asked on a thin voice visibly very confused.

Beverly gaped for a moment in shock "You don't remember?" Emma shook her head wordlessly, and Bev stroked her hair again "What's the last thing you remember?"

Emma tried to gather her thoughts, but they seemed to be scattered all over this darkened ward. Everything seemed so hazy, as if most of her life was only part of that devastating dream she'd been through. She frowned slightly as she tried to remember which of her memories were the last ones "We went down on the planet. I didn't want to, but the Captain convinced me... We... we had a fight with Data, and I ran out on him..." suddenly tears ran to her eyes "I didn't want to, I just needed him to find me! Did he find me?!" she asked desperately, searching Beverly's eyes.

Bev smiled squeezing her hand "He did, dear. He did. We all did. You led us to the Resistance."

Emma frowned again trying hard to find a memory of what Bev was talking about "I don't remember." she whispered.

"This is normal, don't get scared." Beverly soothed, and when Em looked at her still very confused and frightened, she went on to break the events of their mission as gently as she could to her "You've been in coma for the last four days. Even a little more than that. It's normal that you don't remember your conscious last twelve hours or so, the memories couldn't register deep enough. But it all will come back with the brain stimulation drugs you're getting."

"Coma?" Emma asked shocked. Her eyes shut, and she felt her attention slipping as she suddenly felt really light-headed, and a wave of nausea rushed through her. She took a deep breath to get a grip and concentrated on Beverly's voice:

"Yes. You were in the mines, and there was an accident. You got injured really badly. You lost a lot of blood."

Em frowned feeling her hand on her cheek - and in her mind's eye, she saw Juliana stroking her cheek gently, telling her that everything would be alright, whereas she knew, she'd soon die... She shook her head slightly, and her eyes snapped open bewildered.

"An accident..."

"Yes, there was an earth quake, while you were underground. And the mine collapsed."

"Was... was Data there too?" Emma asked suddenly as if she was unable to keep herself from asking about him.

Beverly nodded "Yes, he was."

Then came another vague memory to the surface of Emma's consciousness, and she grew visibly scared as she saw a green blast hitting her lover on the shoulder. The chirping of the computer became wild with her pulse spiking as she asked "Was he hurt? Is he..." she swallowed hard "Is he alive?" her voice broke, and Bev stroked her cheek again soothingly.

"Yes, he is. He was hurt, but he's okay now. You must not worry about him. He's fine."

At this, Emma simply broke down crying "So where is he now? Why isn't he here? Why?" she felt unable to control herself or her emotions or what she was uttering - and the only thought that remained important was to see Data!

Beverly could very well see that she was too tired and traumatized to think clearly. Also blood-loss could cause confusion and anxiety, she knew - she needed to make her calm down. "Shh, hush, it'll all be okay." she told her soothingly and straightening, let her friend go to get a hypospray.

Em just went on still in tears "We had a bad fight... Ed told him things about me... And he was so disappointed! So disappointed in me! Oh..."

"Hey..." Bev came back to her and took her hand again "Shh, he's worried about you, just as we all were! But you need to rest now!" Beverly told her holding the hypospray to her neck.

"No, please, don't. Bev, please!" Em begged before Beverly could give her a shot, and the doctor took the hypospray away looking into her eyes with a pleading expression.

"Em, you need to rest, and you're so distressed that you won't be able to. I need to help you to sleep. Please, let me."

Emma took a long breath and tried to stop crying "No, Bev, I'm fine. I promise, I will rest, just don't knock me out. Please!" she implored - the one thing she was not able to endure ever since she spent those horrible months in the nuthouse was to be drugged senseless. Of course, Bev knew nothing about that...

Beverly slouched at her hard-headedness and put down the hypospray on the biobed to take her hand into hers again "Okay. But now close your eyes and try to sleep a little."

Em swallowed and looked into her friend's eyes "Bev..." she started on a small voice again "Could you tell him, that I'm sorry?" despite struggling hard against it, her eyes filled with tears again "Could you ask him to... to visit me just once? Before... before Ed takes me anywhere he wants... I need to see him and tell him... something that I need to... I need to, Bev. Please!"

Beverly glanced away now really feeling cornered: she couldn't leave her friend so desperate about how Data felt about her, but if she told her that Data was not at her bedside because he was sitting in the brig, it would be just as bad. Or she could always lie... No, Em knew her too well, she'd know right away...

She held her hazy gaze and stroked her cheek gently "Em. He's very worried about you, but he cannot come to you now, my dear."

A tremor ran through Emma at this "He's hurt, isn't he? Is he dead?! I have to know!" her voice trembled with fear and the effort to stay strong.

Beverly squeezed her hand in hers as she decided that she had no other choice, she had to be honest with her "Emma, he's fine, believe me. And I'll tell you everything. But you have to promise me that you remain calm. You must not fall apart, you're too weak for that. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded and tried everything to compose her features.

Beverly held her gaze silently and waited until her breathing slowed a little before she finally told her the truth "He's in the brig right now. He was confined for threatening Ed during the mission, when you were in the mines."

Oddly enough, Emma only looked at her shocked then, but no other outward sign of distress could be seen on her features. She didn't break down, she didn't cry. She didn't seem to be in panic either. It gave Bev some faint, unrealistic hope as she went on "I don't know the details. I only know that Ed managed to convince the Admiral that Data is dangerous." she took a deep breath to calm herself "I know how difficult it is having to listen to such news. But you must not worry! Jean-Luc and the rest of the senior staff are fighting for him and for you! To find a way to stop Edmond. As far as I know, Deanna and Will are on their way..."

Suddenly, Emma made a huge effort to turn to her side. "Em, what are you-" Beverly started bewildered, but then Emma pulled her arm underneath her body and then slowly, gingerly pushed herself up into a half sitting half squatting position on the bed. She crouched there slouching and panting from the effort - but with unbreakable resolve on her features. Beverly just gaped at her: she didn't think it was possible with Emma being so weak and exhausted as she was!

"Em! Lie back already!" she commanded when she found her voice.

But Emma shook her head stubbornly "No, Bev!" she told her faintly, fighting the head-rush that suddenly blurred her vision "You'll have to give me something to get me on my feet!" she breathed.

"What?! You're crazy! You're in no condition to get up! With or without medications! Stop this insanity and lie down!"

Emma swallowed hard and locked her determined gaze with Bev's bewildered one "Beverly! I need to save him! Ed can do whatever he wants to me, but I will not allow Data to come to any harm!"

Beverly gaped incredulously "You're delirious, you're talking non-sense!" - and actually she was quite convinced that it was the very case!

Emma shook her head "No! Haven't you heard him?!" Bev only looked at her confused, wide-eyed as she went on "He's about to take me home today! You heard him promise, didn't you? Just think about it! Do you think he'll let Data live and have an immortal opponent?! He had him confined! Now, he'll find a way to kill him before he leaves the ship!" she made an attempt to get off the bed, but Beverly stopped her pushing her back.

"Emma, stop it!" she told her holding on to her two arms to keep her on the bed. With the effort of trying to stand up, Emma felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion wash over her, and Beverly almost had to hold her up as she was so weak that she was barely able to support her own weight sitting there so slouching. But her gaze still reflected unbelievable determination - and desperation. Bev squeezed her grip on her looking into her eyes deeply "Emma. Please, try to think clearly! This is the Enterprise. No one will harm Data even if he's in the brig. You have to stop this insanity and lie back right now!"

"Don't be naive!" Emma cried out "Ed Jones reaches his goals every time he sets his mind on to something! No one on the Enterprise can stop him!"

"That doesn't matter, Em! He can't even go near Data! He's guarded! But even if he weren't, Ed is surrounded by Starfleet officers on a Federation starship! He cannot do any harm to anybody!"

"To anybody, ha? So why is he threatening me with taking me away? Does that have no basis at all either?" Emma demanded. Bev grew silent at this, and Em understood she didn't have to know the details to draw her conclusions "He did find a way to play around the rules, right?" she stated on a low, bitter voice "Just as he always does!" she whispered and shook her head "I've told Picard! I warned him, he has no weapon against Ed Jones! But he didn't believe me..." she looked at Bev again "And neither did you!"

"Em..." Beverly slouched letting out a long breath.

Emma then went on on a firm, determined voice "The Federation, Starfleet... they're your team, with your rules, Bev. Ed's playing in a whole different playground, and you cannot do anything to stop him!"

Bev stared at her completely frustrated "So who do you think can?!"

"MY family. The Resistance."

Beverly gaped at this suddenly remembering Deanna's words in the Captain's ready-room: "Her loyalties are divided, if she were to choose between Starfleet or the Resistance... she would choose them over Starfleet."

That scared Beverly to her very core "Emma, dearest! Think of reality! You're a Starfleet officer! Just as Data! Even if you're ready to commit treason or mutiny, he's not! Even if you managed to free him from the brig, which is impossible in your present condition, he won't go with you!"

And at that, suddenly they heard a male voice from the door "Let him answer that for himself!" they turned in union to see there Earl Mils. And behind him glinted a pair of golden eyes that took Emma's breath away every singular time she met his gaze.

"Deadpan..."

* * *

Data and Earl appeared in a deserted corner close to sickbay after beaming out of the brig. Data glanced around cautiously and motioned for Earl to follow him, when the corridor was empty. They stopped at the entrance, and peeped in. There was only Doctor Selar with a patient on a biobed and a nurse hurrying around.

"Why didn't we beam directly into sickbay?" Earl asked on a hushed voice.

"I don't intend to take hostages or cause any kind of stir-up, Mr. Mils - I mean, Earl." Data explained and then moved over to a companel. He hit a few buttons, and in a second, heard the computer from the sickbay:

"Medical emergency in cargo bay four. Doctor Selar, please report immediately."

Gazing inside, they saw that the nurse and Selar packed their instruments to get ready. The two men ran back to the small corner they originally started from and watched as the Vulcan doctor and the nurse rushed by on the corridor. When they disappeared in a turbolift, the two accomplices emerged from their hideout and ran back to sickbay. This time, only the patient lay there on the biobed, with his eyes shut. Data and Earl took their chances and entered.

They hurried through sickbay, Earl looking into the wards to see where Emma could have been, then at the far end of the corridor, just as he was about to enter the last ward, they stopped short staring at each other shocked.

Two ladies were having an intense discussion inside. One was Doctor Crusher, they both recognized her voice. But the other!

"This is impossible!" Earl whispered pricking his ears in shock.

But it was true. Data's voice recognition algorithms double-checked it. It was her. It WAS Emma! She was alive! She was awake! She was fine! She was fine and talking to Doctor Crusher!

The last time he'd heard her voice, it was broken and trembling with pain and fear and her tears. She was begging him because she didn't want to die, she wanted to stay and be with him - but she did die! Her pulse disappeared only moments later from under his fingertips, and she said nothing afterwards. She didn't move afterwards... And now, she was fine! She was inside! He could go there and look into her beautiful eyes! Hold her close! Feel her pulse under his fingertips again and set his own heart beat according to hers! She was there alive and fine!

Data felt himself shaken, and he recognized that Earl was talking to him leaning very close to his face - he seemed oddly bewildered for some reason... But why couldn't he hear what he was saying? In that moment, Data realized that his emotion-chip occupied almost all of his processing capacity, depriving him even of the ability to hear. And the thought process that was free enough to realize this, also made another revelation: he would never be able to help Emma or Earl or himself to escape in this current state of mind - or any other he'd be in near her. This was no different than a mission, only that it was even more important than a mission! There was no space for his overwhelming emotions! No space at all!

He slowly reached up to the back of his neck, slid his fingers over the holo-service-door to his emotion-chip, and then pressed the button to turn it off.

The monitoring system over his processes immediately reported a fifty percent drop in his resource utilization, and he took a long breath - now that he had the space to think of breathing at all.

"Data!" Earl called him now for the third time on a tense, hushed voice.

He finally focused on the old man's eyes "Yes, Earl. I am sorry for being distracted. It will not occur again." he promised on a flat tone, which surprised Earl a little. Then Data nodded toward the ward "We may proceed."

Earl did raise a suspicious eyebrow at the sudden change in his accomplice's behaviour, but he had no time to ask, so he just nodded and as they entered, they heard Doctor Crusher's pleading voice:

"Emma, dearest! Think of reality! You're a Starfleet officer! Just as Data! Even if you're ready to commit treason or mutiny, he's not! Even if you managed to free him from the brig, which is impossible in your present condition, he won't go with you!"

"Let him answer that for himself!" Earl declared stepping in and looking at his android companion following him.

Emma gaped seeing her old friend here, on the Enterprise! They must have met, if what Bev had said was true that she'd brought them to the Resistance, but she had no recollection of it.

But then, it all became a blur as she saw her entering lover. The world simply faded into nothingness, and the only thing she felt herself able to do was staring at Data, feeling helplessly devoted to him as he was standing there tall, with his golden eyes glinting against the darkness around them.

"Deadpan..." she whispered.

They locked gazes for a long moment. Data acknowledged that even with his chip off, and all his emotions gone from his mental pathways, a numb, almost indescribable craving after Emma's touch remained. The absence of her sensory input patterns seemed to be processed in a different way compared to his other emotions. It was a curious sensation to experience. But he put it aside for now with the same ease he was managing any other thought processes, and he finally looked at Doctor Crusher.

"Data... How did you-" Beverly started slowly not even sure what she wanted to ask before he explained on a calm, firm voice.

"Emma is not safe on the Enterprise any longer, Doctor Crusher. Therefore, I decided to take the initiative and stop waiting for events to simply occur around me, around both of us. We have run out of time and options."

Beverly let out a frustrated breath - this was unbelievable! It was as if Emma and Data both had lost their minds at the exact same instant! "Data... you know that Will and Deanna are on their way. They might have found something-"

Data nodded cutting in "I know. But we no longer can afford the time to wait for them. And after seeing how Premier Jones avoided all and every attempt at revealing his machinations, I doubt that anything Commander Riker and Counsellor Troi might have found would have any relevance to our present situation, Doctor Crusher. Now, that Emma is awake, he will take her without waiting another moment."

Beverly sighed resignedly. There was truth in his words. She hadn't even had the time to think over how to save Emma from being dragged back to Epsilon now that she was awake - and with Data having committed mutiny, the die was cast. Still letting them go just like this... she looked at Emma torn.

Emma took her hand with a wistful smile "It'll be fine, Bev." she told her on a low voice "Just give me a shot of Levo-cordrazine to get me on my feet. I promise, as soon as we're safe with the Resistance, I'll rest as much as I can."

Bev shut her eyes shaking her head disbelievingly "Oh, I can't believe I'm going along with this!" she whispered and then stepping over to the instruments, fetched a hypospray. She walked back to the biobed and pushed the spray to Emma's neck. The younger woman took a long breath feeling herself filled with energy.

"That's one hell of a stuff you've got there, girl!" she whispered with a smile, her voice had a subtle slur to it, but then as she opened her eyes, the previous exhaustion was gone, and she suddenly hopped off the bed.

In the next moment, she stepped over to Data, threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

As Data felt Emma's soft, warm lips over his own, he acknowledged that the sensation of absence he'd felt for her touch lessened by a margin. Curiously enough, however, the work-load over most of his sub-processors spiked, seemingly without any visible cause. He started a diagnostic thread to check the possible reasons responsible for such an unexpected activity as she pressed herself up to his body tightly. She held on to him so firmly that he could tell, she wanted him to respond to her tenderness almost desperately so. However, in 2.89 seconds, he determined that every moment spent with lingering about worsened their chances at a successful escape. So he took her by the upper-arms gently, and broke away from her after only a moment. He gazed into her eyes and seeing her expression, he understood that she might have taken offence over his temporary rejection of her affection, therefore he gave her a small smile, he hoped would be reassuring enough.

Feeling her lips on his felt like coming home! She never ever felt that way before, and it was so amazing she suddenly felt light-headed over the sensation. She held onto him tightly expecting him to slip his arms around her waist and hold her close to him. However, to her complete shock, he did not respond to her enthusiastic tenderness. Instead, after a short moment, he broke away taking her arms away from around his neck rather clumsily with a rather eery smile on his face. She stared into his eyes in consternation.

Letting her arms go, he took a small step back, and seemed to try to explain himself "I do not wish to hurt your feelings, however we do not have time for displays of affection momentarily." he told her on a silent voice, then gave her another creepy smile, which made her feel even worse. It was as if they were two polite strangers! Or worse...

Beverly looked at the scene taken aback, and she vaguely understood that Data might have switched his chip off, but she had no time to comment on it as he stepped over to her "Please, give us that hypospray, and a tricorder, Doctor." She nodded absently, and they walked over to the instruments to pack away a few things.

Emma stood there still shaken by what just happened. Earl stepped to her and put a gentle arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "Let him concentrate on saving you, little bird!" he whispered giving her a gentle squeeze.

She nodded faintly - sure. No problem there. But what would it have taken to kiss her back? Just a few moments, that wouldn't matter anyways! Or... was her earlier suspicion true? Were they really angry at each other still, despite what Bev had said? The last thing she remembered about the two of them was that they were shouting at each other after Ed'd told Data that she was a drug addict, and Data believed it without any doubt... After that, she ran out on him... at least that was the last thing she remembered. But Bev said, they'd met at the Resistance, and it was impossible that she hadn't tried to clarify everything!

And at that moment she remembered standing in her darkened room at the Resistance - the moonlight painted Data's skin so pale that it was almost his original color - and she could recall the horrible desperation she felt as they were once again fighting with each other. And then she uttered the words "...It's just because I'm screwed up, Data! I'm screwed up! That's all I can say." It was plain, he was then really disappointed, really hurt... So she probably have just made matters worse between the two of them. She swallowed bowing her head with a heavy heart. How did I mess this up even more than it originally was?! If only she could remember more...

"Let us go." Data declared stepping back to them with a small bag at his side. Emma looked at him visibly desperate, but he didn't look at her. She slouched as she felt her eyes filling with tears and slowly came to realize that though that shot of Levo-cordrazine gave her energy, it definitely did NOT substitute rest, that could have given her at least a measure of control over her emotions.

Beverly stepped to her and touched her upper arm "Take care of yourself!" she whispered, and Emma now had another reason to let her tears fall...

She embraced her friend tightly "Thanks for everything, sweetie!" pulling a little away she looked into her eyes desperate "You know you're the best..." she whispered sniffling.

"Oh, you..." Bev pulled her close again just as moved, feeling her throat closing. She planted a small kiss on her cheek, rubbing her back as they heard Data's urging voice.

"We must make a move, Doctor."

Bev let her go, wiped an escaped tear off her cheek and looked at the android "Have her eat something as soon as you have the chance. She needs to gain her strength back, and a few shots of Levo-cordrazine won't do that, only give you the impression of it. When it wears off, she'll feel very weak and tired. Don't wait till then, rather make her rest and eat, okay?"

Emma frowned trying to sound annoyed "You can talk to me Mother-Hen, instead of hiring a babysitter!"

"Exactly because I know you, I'm talking to your babysitter!" Beverly told her almost as if she was talking to a child. She looked back at Data "Take good care of her!"

Data nodded obediently "I will make sure she is provided rest and sustenance." he then locked his gaze with hers "Doctor Crusher, I wish to believe that one day we may return, and this voluntary exile of us will not last forever. Please, let the Captain know that I am sorry I have to let him down."

Beverly looked at him with as much care in her eyes as she had displayed when looking at Emma "Data... He'll not think any such thing, you know that! There's nothing you could do that would make him feel that way!"

He consciously pulled his lips into a small smile, which he hoped looked grateful "Thank you, Doctor Crusher. For everything." he added silently. She then wordlessly pulled him in for a hug, which he returned rather awkwardly and then quickly let her go.

Beverly looked at them with tears in her eyes, but determined "We'll do all we can to find a way to get you back! I promise!"

Before they could answer, suddenly, they heard voices from outside, and they all listened intently. It was Doctor Selar having returned from her visit to cargo bay four, where she found no traces of an emergency. They all knew they'd run out of time.

Data stepped to the console, Earl and Emma in his tow. He pushed a few buttons and with a last wave from Emma, they disappeared from in front of Beverly into a swirl of shiny particles. And then they were gone.

She stifled a sob as she remained there all alone in the darkness not knowing if she'd ever see them again in her life. But as the voices from outside grew stronger, she took a few long breaths to try to calm herself. She wiped her tears and composed her features before stepping out to Selar who was just about to enter.

"What happened?" she asked the seemingly upset Vulcan doctor - as much as a Vulcan could be upset.

"Unbelievable, Beverly!" Selar spread her arms exasperated "Somebody played a practical joke on me! I was called to a medical emergency, but there was no one in need of help! I had Security check the logs to see who the perpetrator was! I've never experienced anything of the kind on a starship! What a reckless behaviour!"

"Yes, you're right, it does sound rather strange." Beverly answered absently, closing the door of the ward, but then her combadge went off saving her from having to think of any other, more relevant comments.

"Troi to Crusher!" they heard.

Beverly looked suddenly stunned hearing her voice. She then pressed her combadge and answered on her most professional tone "Crusher here!"

"Beverly, please report to the Captain's ready room as soon as you can."

"On my way." Beverly nodded and started to walk away from the ward glancing back still a little distracted.

Seeing her expression, Selar asked now in her usual aloof manner "How is Lieutenant Jones?"

Beverly looked at her first alarmed, then smothered the expression and nodded "She's... resting."

"Would you like me to stay with her?" the Vulcan doctor offered, and Beverly looked at her wide-eyed for a moment before giving her a tight smile.

"No, no, it's alright. She's asleep, and the computer is set to notify me, if there's a change in her condition. Please, don't let anyone go into that ward until I'm back, alright?" she told her hurrying toward the exit.

"Of course, Doctor." Selar nodded, and Bev left sickbay feeling her cheeks burning.


	47. Chapter 47

Juliana was standing at science console one to the side of the command chairs and studied the worrying results on the screen. She'd been trying to concentrate on doing her job as a geologist ever since her son was confined, knowing that she would have no opportunity to help him. She needed to trust his colleagues to do that. But she needed to occupy her mind before she went mad with worry, so she spent her last few days here, at the science console and analysed the peculiar geological structure of Epsilon Four. She tried to stay for the nights too, now that she knew that theoretically, she needed no sleep, just as Data. However, she found that after twenty hours, at around dawn, she fell asleep over the console - a limitation Noonian must have implemented so she wouldn't suspect anything...

She was also trying to avoid Earl. It was more and more difficult to face him and his seemingly unconditional acceptance, while she herself had no idea how to accept herself. It was a strangely contradictory feeling: she felt she loved Data as a son without reservation regardless of the fact that he was an android, and her decades old dream was to see androids just like him living together with humans. But now that it was HER that was the manifestation of her very dream... she felt she had to face a certain prejudice she never realized she had against her own kind, nor did she understand the reason behind it. The fact was that, she felt less now that she knew she was not a human. Almost worthless... like and object would feel if it could... All of this was just so complicated, so overwhelming, that she wanted nothing but to put all this aside and concentrate on something that she could deal with. But she'd never have dreamt she'd find something as unsettling as she did when she finished her analysis!

She glanced over to the Captain's ready room uneasily. She needed to talk to the Captain about her findings immediately. But that Doctor Maddox disappeared inside a quarter of an hour ago, and she wasn't sure if her disturbance would do any good to her son's situation...

In a few minutes' time, the door opened, and Juliana watched as Maddox left the bridge with an unreadable expression. Her heart sank seeing the man seemingly so unfeeling.

The Captain came out and was about to take over command from Lieutenant Anderson, but Juliana stopped him stepping up to him.

"Captain, I need to speak with you for a moment." she started "In private."

"Sure, Doctor Tainer." Picard nodded, but they hadn't reached the ready room, when the turbolift door opened, and Will and Deanna stepped out on the Bridge in a rush.

"Captain!" they called in union.

"Counsellor, Commander!" Picard greeted them as they got to them "Report, Number One."

"It'd be better, if we went into your ready room, Sir." Will told him on a dead serious voice, and Picard nodded.

"Fine. Let's call Doctor Crusher as well, she might want to be here too."

Deanna obeyed and called Beverly through her combadge as they stepped over the threshold of the ready room.

"Captain!" Juliana called almost jumping after them before the door could close "I really need to talk to you too, it's urgent!"

Picard pondered for a second "Join us, Doctor, and we'll be listening to you in a moment's time."

"Thank you." Juliana nodded, and they all disappeared inside.

* * *

"So what are we doing in a shuttle bay?" Emma asked looking at Data questioningly "When we disappeared in sickbay, I thought the next moment we'd be standing on the planet!"

But they were actually standing in a small corner in shuttle bay two behind a small shuttlecraft.

Data peeked out from behind the vehicle as he answered on a hushed voice "Transporter logs can always be recovered and restored even if I remove them or temper with them. Without exaggeration, Geordi is an expert in that. The first and foremost priority is to get off the Enterprise leaving as little trace behind us as possible. Therefore, we will use the runabout instead of beaming off the ship." he replied watching the technicians working on the runabout. They'd watched as Deanna and Will got off and rushed to the nearest turbolift as if the devil was two steps behind them, and Data made the assessment that if they were in such a hurry, they must have found something. He then also calculated the odds on how useful that something might prove concerning their present situation and decided that leaving the ship gave them better chances than staying. He looked at Emma who was looking at him expectingly, while Earl stood close next to her - their destination on the other hand was another matter...

He opened the small bag that contained some valuable instruments and substances they received from Beverly and took out a tricorder.

"What are you doing?" Earl asked curiously watching the android tapping the instrument.

"I am setting off an alarm to make the staff leave the shuttle bay." and in confirmation, a few seconds later, a loud alarm went off and pulsating red light filled the shuttle bay.

"Warning! Depressurization alert! All personnel evacuate immediately!" the voice of the computer filled the air repeating its monotonous warning, and the technicians, though first looking at each other confused, started to run toward the closest exits. In less than a minute, Data, Emma and Earl remained alone.

"Come on." Data commanded, and they ran to the runabout.

Once inside, Data sat in one of the command chairs and tapped the console to see the stats of the vehicle.

"Anti-matter pod is almost on full capacity. All instruments standing by for launch. Perfect." he added tapping the console.

"Data, the technicians are back!" Earl warned him looking out of the window to the side "They must have figured out that you only took them for a ride."

"Initiating launching sequence." Data declared, and Emma had the creepiest sensation as if she was listening to a computer speaking on his lover's voice. He then turned to Earl "We will be clear in three seconds. I also closed the shuttle bay doors and cut off all communication systems. They won't be able to report that we've left, and the monitoring system will not notify the Bridge either."

"You trapped them there?" Emma asked taken aback.

Earl looked at him gaping "But will they not get depressurized as we-" he started to ask, but before he could finish, the runabout penetrated the forcefield and flew out into the night. Earl looked back into the shuttle bay to see the technicians - they seemed to be fine.

Data once again turned to them where they stood a few paces away from him "The forcefield of the shuttle bays can be penetrated by space vehicles such as the runabout without the danger of decompressing the shuttle bay itself." he explained and then looked back at the consoles and started tapping them to first conduct a diagnostics before laying in a course "On the other hand, I am afraid they ARE trapped in there, for as long as somebody does not notice that the runabout is missing. However, given that our leeway cannot be more than a few minutes even by my most daring estimates, therefore you can rest assured, they will not have to stay there for long."

Emma watched him baffled, still not able to put her finger on just what exactly was wrong with her lover, when he finally turned his head toward her to look into her eyes with the most deadpan expression she'd EVER seen on his face - and this time, unlike all other occasions, she could not project any emotions to his facial expression. It was completely void. Her frown deepened as she looked into his eyes, and he went on on the same colorless voice as before.

"I would like you to follow Doctor Crusher's orders and take a rest. I have chosen the runabout to be our means of escape not only because it has a larger operational range compared to other shuttlecrafts, but also because it offers a more comfortable living space. Which might be useful in your present condition."

"Present condition?!" Emma gaped now really taken aback "You're talking as if I had a deadly sickness, and I had to be nursed!"

He cocked his head slightly to the side "You are in denial of the fact that you, in actuality, almost died?" It WAS illogical indeed, though quite in line with her character, he mused.

"I'm not denying anything, but stop treating me as if I was some snotty kid in need of a babysitter!" she retorted.

Earl stepped over to them and looked at Data with a hard expression "There was something else that caught my attention in what you've just said." Data looked at him still with a blank expression waiting for him to go on "You said, the runabout has a larger operational range - why would we need a large operational range, if our destination is the planet only a few thousand kilometers below?"

Emma looked at Earl shocked, and Data turned back to the instruments. The diagnostics were still running, but he wanted them to be as invisible on the scanners as possible, so he pressed a few buttons and navigated the runabout to the northern polar region, where the magnetic field of the planet would hide them.

"Are you gonna answer Earl's question?" Emma demanded, and Data looked back at them - now a slight determination might have been made out in his eyes.

"Since I am the commanding officer on this ship, I do not owe you any kind of explanation."

Emma threw her hands up frustrated "We're rogues now, Deadpan, and not Starfleet officers on a starship, so stop pretending that we are!" she retorted "We're two against one, you're voted off, so spill it already!"

Data gave a slight shake of his head "I do not wish to put up with any kind of emotional distress either of you might display before we are on our way, so no, I am not planning to share our destination with you yet."

She gaped not believing her ears. Was he taken by aliens while she was in a coma?! Or was this some alternate universe, where they'd never ever felt any kind of tenderness for each other? She'd never seen him this cold ever before! But then why was he risking his career, his very life?!

"You're not planning to go back to Epsilon Four, are you." Earl told him already knowing the answer. Data did not reply, and the older man's hands clenched in a fist - he definitely did NOT expect this turn of events! "You may go wherever you wish, but I'm not going with you! Beam me back to Epsilon Four, and you can be on your way!" he declared and went to the transporter panel on the wall.

Data stood and jumped him before he could tap anything into the console. He took his lower arm in a firm grip and glared into the elder man's eyes "This is not for a civilian to use!"

"Then operate it and send me back!" Earl demanded now visibly desperate.

Data held onto his arm a little more firmly as he struggled against him "Epsilon Four is the least safe place for both you and Emma. I will not allow either of you to return."

"I agree about Emma, the best would be if you took her as far away from here as you could, but you have to let me go back! I have responsibilities down there, people that count on me! I cannot simply run away!"

Emma stepped up to them bewildered "Stop this both of you! You think I'm just a puppet that you can argue about whose turn it is to drag its strings?! If you haven't noticed, I'm running away from exactly that right at the moment, so I'd really appreciate, if I could have a word in my own fate! Thank you very much!"

The two man let each other go, and Data looked into her eyes with his calm gaze "I did not wish to make you feel as if the decisions are made without your word in them. However, I presumed that you would also concede to the fact that Epsilon Four is by no means the place to escape to for either you or Earl."

Emma stepped close to him looking into his eyes with a pleading expression "It is exactly the place, Deadpan! I've been safe with the Resistance for two years. Ed never could find us, we will be protected there!"

Data gave a slight shake of his head "Since he has a close association with Romulans, they might have better means to determine the location of the Resistance' hide-out. We cannot risk that."

"How do you know they're still there?" Earl asked trying hard to convince the android "Their mine collapsed, their business is gone, and on top of it all, a Federation starship is in orbit."

"We can never be sure about the fact that they had only one mining shaft on the planet. Also they could re-establish the collapsed shaft if they wish - and since it was a fruitful business, they do have a compelling reason to do so." Data reasoned.

"That point is moot, Data." Earl told him "Our hide-out, the studio lot is protected against scanners, so even if there were Romulans on Epsilon, we'd still be safe." he looked into his eyes pleading "Understand Data, the only way to stop Jones is through the Resistance. If we don't, not only the people of Epsilon Four will remain the captive of his machinations forever, but Emma too. Wherever you go, wherever you'd try to hid, you would never live in peace. He'd always try to get her back one way or the other. He won't stop until he does."

Data glanced away to analyse all the information at hand, to at least try to calculate their odds, had they actually landed on the planet - he suddenly felt he missed the gut-feeling his emotion-chip could give him, that had helped him from time to time to make a decision in the last two years. But he never got to the end of that analysis.

The computer started to chirp widely, and he ran back to the console just to find himself face to face with a Romulan ship looking in through the front window.

"It seems our decisions have already been made for us." he whispered as they stared at the enormous bird-of-prey for a second before its disruptors flared up!

"Shields up!" Data commanded the computer, but a moment later, they received a direct blow that could not be withstood by their shield, and suddenly all they could see around them were orange flames!

* * *

"A what?!" Juliana and Beverly gaped at them bewildered.

After a moment of stunned silence, the Captain decided that he couldn't believe his ears either "Would you care to repeat it, Number One?" he asked on a low voice.

"He's a Ullian, a strong telepath, Sir." Will repeated and looked at Deanna.

"He was surgically altered to resemble a human as thoroughly as possible." she explained, and Picard stared into her eyes for a few long seconds digesting the information. He then slowly turned and walked up to his desk from where they'd been standing in the middle of his room.

"Could that be really medically possible?" Juliana asked looking at Beverly.

She frowned thinking "Theoretically, yes but..." she trailed off "A telepath..." she whispered and finally, the realization dawned on her "Of course! This is how he woke her!"

They stared at her confused for a long moment, before Deanna finally asked "Emma is awake?"

"Yes!" Beverly nodded and went on explaining her shocking revelation "There had been experiments of using telepathy with coma patients, but the results were very varied: some people woke, but some remained unconscious, and some others died. The experiment became so controversial that the Federation finally banned the method altogether! But it seems, Jones knew he would be able to wake her all along."

Picard looked at her pondering "You think, he knew he'd get the permission from the Federation to take her into custody only if she's conscious, and he tried to get near her to wake her exactly because of that?"

Before Beverly could answer, Deanna asked what they all had on their minds "Who can possibly calculate all the steps so far ahead?"

"Someone, who knows the outcome of every move he makes beforehand!" Riker concluded "Probably through the Admiral."

A heavy silence descended on them for a long moment. Picard pressed his fingers straight onto the surface of his desk then looked up at them with a grim expression "Can we make an estimate as to how much unauthorized information could he have access to in the last days?"

Will turned his palm up frustrated "Given that he'd been spending all his time with the Admiral, any amount, Sir."

Picard nodded "And he has a close connection to the Romulans..."

"Sir," Deanna stepped up to him "now we have a strong basis to break all connections to Epsilon Four, moreover, we could take him into custody since the Federation has strict rules involving the official negotiations concerning telepathic races, which he'd knowingly breached."

Juliana looked at them frowning confused "If he's not a human acting on the part of a human colony, how can any of what he'd been negotiating about be accepted by any Federation institution?"

The Captain went on explaining "Strictly speaking, that shouldn't be a matter. The negotiating party needs to be chosen by the partner, the Federation cannot have a word in that. Of course, the fact that the Epsilonian people have no idea who their leader is, is an issue, but not a Federational one."

Deanna spoke up "The Federation requires a third-party telepath overseeing any negotiations, if either or both negotiating parties are telepaths. Since we were unaware of the fact, we had no chance to delegate a third-party telepath to the negotiations. Therefore, all of the contracts between the Federation and Epsilon Four that have Premier Jones' signature on are nullified." her features then let on a small smile "Including his petition of surrendering his wife and Mr. Mils to him."

"What about Data's confinement?" Juliana asked anxious "Can he be let free on the same grounds that Jones' complaints are not valid of consideration since he'd lied about who and what he was!"

"I'm afraid, no, Doctor." Picard replied "Though Premier Jones made the complain, it was Admiral McKinnley who decided on Data's confinement."

Will looked at her determined "But this is hard enough evidence to arrest him on the grounds of misleading Federation officials, and even spying and selling out information to a hostile race! Once he's confined, and his influence over the Admiral lessens, McKinnley might see reason finally about Data as well."

"Whatever we do, we need to do it quickly!" Beverly told them visibly scared.

"What's wrong, Beverly?" Deanna asked alarmed sensing her distress.

Beverly swallowed not exactly knowing how to break this to them "Data, Emma and Mr. Mils... they are... they are on their way to get off the Enterprise."

"What?!" the others gaped in union.

"Neither of them believed Jones could be stopped by any means we possess. They sincerely believed that they'd need to leave the Enterprise to be safe! Oh, god, Emma had no idea whom she was married to for a decade..." she gazed away shaken by the sudden realization.

Picard took her by the arm snapping her out of her distress "Beverly, what are they planning? Where are they going?!"

She shook her head "I don't know exactly. Only that Emma wanted to go back to Epsilon Four. To the Resistance."

He let her go and rushed out to the Bridge, the others followed him.

"Lieutenant! I have the Bridge!" he told Anderson who was sitting in the command chair.

"Aye, Sir!" she stood and switched places with an Ensign at the Operations console, while Will sat next to Picard, and the ladies went to stand at the science consoles.

"Computer! Locate Commander Data, Lieutenant Jones or Earl Mils." Picard commanded on a hard voice.

After a moment, the computer chirped "Negative results. Lieutenant Commander Data, Lieutenant Jones and Earl Mils are not on board the Enterprise."

"Oh, hell!" Will breathed.

"Ms. Anderson, check the transporter logs." Picard commanded "If they beamed off, there must be a trace about it."

"Captain," Will called "it seems the brig cells are occupied by the guards themselves." he grimaced wryly - of course, Data knew how to circumvent the brig monitoring system. "I'll let them out." he growled silently.

Picard looked at Deanna "Scan the planet, we should be able to track at least Data! He has unique component elements enough to stick out in any sensor sweep."

"Scanning, Sir!" Deanna replied and started to tap the science console.

"Not necessarily, Captain." Juliana replied, and Picard turned to her questioningly. "The planet's crust consists mainly of kelbonite. It's interfering with most of the scanning technology we possess."

"But we found you even inside the mines." Will told her confused.

"What you found was the signal of Data's combadge. It guided the transporter beam to get a lock on us. But... if their objective was to run away without a trace..." she trailed off not daring to think about what might happen, if they failed to find them.

"There's nothing peculiar in the transporter logs, Sir." Anderson spoke up "If they beamed off the ship, they must have covered their traces."

"I was afraid of something like this." Will growled.

Picard looked at Deanna urging "Counsellor?"

She shook her head watching as the scan of the planet completed without results "Nothing, Sir."

"Captain." Will called again "There's one more place we could check. If they're not on the ship and seemingly not on the planet, they can still be on-"

"A shuttlecraft!" Picard and Deanna finished in union.

"Computer! Is there a shuttle missing from the shuttle bays?" Picard asked in a hurry.

"Affirmative. The runabout is missing from shuttle bay two."

"Scan for that runabout, Anderson!" Will commanded.

"Aye, Sir! Scanning!" after a few moments of tense waiting, Anderson shook her head confused "Negative results, Sir! I've scanned the whole sector, they're nowhere to be seen!"

Will stood up "Mmmm..." he shook his head "The runabout is fast, but it couldn't have left the sector in less than an hour's time." he explained as he stepped up to Anderson.

"What are you suggesting, Number One?" Picard asked frowning.

Will tapped the Ops console "Let's see if Mr. Data was a good enough student of my tactics." he mumbled and when he finished, they could all hear Anderson's surprised gasp looking at her the small display of her console. "On screen, Lieutenant!" Will commanded, and on the view screen, the runabout appeared sitting on top of the planet.

Will turned back to the Captain "He uses the magnetic pole to hide from scanners. You can only find him, if you know where to look for him. I used this particular tactics decades ago, who else would remember it if not Data." he chuckled wryly shaking his head.

"Should I open hailing frequencies, Sir?" Anderson asked.

Picard stood "Not yet, Lieutenant! They're safe there." he looked into Will's eyes "Let's get rid of Jones, first!" he commanded on a low, determined voice.

But before they could make a move, they suddenly heard the raspy voice of the Admiral from behind "What is going on here?!"

Picard and Will turned to the two new-comers in union: the Admiral was followed by Premier Jones in tow as they walked up to stand opposite the officers in front of the command chairs. A deadly silence descended on the Bridge as nothing could be heard apart from the chirping of the computer consoles. They glared at each other for a long moment before Jones spoke up.

"Isn't it plain, Admiral? Your Captain and his loyal crew have just assisted three criminals to escape from your ship!"

Deanna was the one whose temper finally snapped at this "The only criminal on this ship is you!" she called out, and the Admiral and Jones turned to her taken aback.

"Counsellor, how dare-" the Admiral started, but she cut in standing opposite them near the Captain and Will.

"He's been lying to you and all of us about who he is, Sir!" she declared and finally took up the courage to look into Jones' dark eyes "He's not a human! He's a Ullian, a telepath!"

"Wha..." the Admiral gaped gazing from Jones to Deanna who were only staring at each other "This is nonsense! How can you come up with something as ridiculous as this?!"

"But it is true, Sir!" Picard told him standing next to Deanna.

The Admiral looked at Jones but suddenly didn't find his voice to ask a coherent question.

Beverly stepped up to where the Captain and Deanna were standing "Why don't you tell the Admiral how you've managed to wake your wife?" she asked on a low voice "How you could wake a coma patient who could not be waken by any modern medicine."

To their shock, Jones once again reacted as if this had all been part of his plans. He chuckled and raised his hands turning up his palms "Whoops, I'm caught! What do I do now?" he asked with an arrogant smirk then let his arms drop to his sides, and a deadly expression appeared on his features "You think you know anything?" he hissed to Deanna "You think just because you made a wild guess, you have any idea?"

She didn't waver or turn her gaze from his as she answered "I know enough to know that your machinations are over!"

He raised his eyebrows "You think so, my dear?" he chuckled again and looked at the Admiral. Seeing that this time, he would not talk himself out of this, he again changed tactics "Well, since I became an unwanted guest, I'd better be going." he declared turning to go to the turbolift.

The old man seemingly had no strength to call after him or to stop him, but Will jumped him "You're not going anywhere, Mister!" he growled dragging him back to where they'd been standing.

Picard stepped up to him "You'll have to answer for your crimes before a Federation court." he told him on a hard voice "And you can be sure that spying and treason will be on top of the list of your many charges."

Jones shook his head smiling forgivingly "You cannot prove anything."

"Yes, we can! We have your medical records from Epsilon Twelve." Deanna stated.

Jones snorted "Saying what? That I have plastic surgery every year? And so? I will be examined, and the examination will say that I'm only half Ullian. My other half is human!" They stood there gaping at this, and he pulled his arm out of Will's grip, then went on speaking only to Deanna "I'm not a telepath. I'm an empath, just as yourself my dear, Deanna. My telepathic abilities are no stronger than yours. Though it seems I use them a lot more efficiently than you do, my dear."

Beverly gaped at his cynicism "You dare say this after clearly manipulating everybody around you for long years, including your own wife?!"

He nodded as if it all was so obvious "Manipulated, yes. But I never stole anyone's thoughts, or telepathically made people do whatever I wanted them to. Because this would be the basis of your charges right? Hmm... No." he shook his head looking at the dumbstruck Admiral "I didn't need that. It was more than enough to sense that a high-ranking old man was desperate in wanting to prove that he's still useful. After some research, it wasn't difficult to find, that Starfleet Command was about to retire him. Which he had no desire to do." They gazed at the Admiral shocked as he went on "I just had to make him believe that I can be the most effective tool for him to prove to his superiors that his retirement is not due yet. That we can be useful to each other. Finding a reliable and cheap source of dilithium would be a great deed nowadays, wouldn't it?"

"You..." the Admiral clenched his fist.

"I'm really sorry that finally, we couldn't cut a deal. It would really have been useful for both of us, despite what you might be thinking right now - but please, don't be concerned, I will not leave empty handed..." he sneered.

They had no chance to ask what he meant, because he turned to Beverly.

"You're right. I did manipulate Emma too. But with her it was different. Different from anybody else!" he hissed and a strange glint appeared in his eyes "I always had a special connection to her. Something I never had with anybody before and ever since... It was so easy with her... She was so desperate to feel loved that she was willing to endure almost anything for it..." he shook his head with wonder in his eyes "I never got tired of examining just how much she was willing to endure..." he whispered, but the next moment a hard fist landed on his jaw.

He dizzily grasped a console to steady himself and looking up, saw Will Riker standing above him for a moment, before the man grabbed his collar and shook him.

"You son-of-a-bitch! You don't deserve the air you breathe! What kind of a monster are you?!"

"It's enough, Number One!" Picard snapped at him, and Will with a final shake let Jones go. "Take him to the brig!" the Captain commanded to two Ensigns, who stepped up behind Jones, but it seemed he hadn't finished.

"What kind of a monster?" he asked looking at Will "Just the kind YOU made me!" he hissed and chuckled again looking over at them "You proud yourselves over the fact that you're humans? I'll tell you one thing! There's no race in this universe capable of more cruelty and barbarism than humans! You think I was the one who had the idea of concealing who - WHAT - I was when I was a CHILD?! It was my human grandfather who couldn't watch me bullied day to day in the most elite private school in Paris! Just because I was different! But his solution was not to change the world around me. No. My dear old granddad had me endure the filing of my skull every singular month as long as I was still growing! To make me one of the many. It did not help, of course in stopping the kids' tortures... Do you know what DID? When I realized I can sense how they felt and that I could use that to have them do as I want. Slowly, one by one, all of my bullies regretted ever having touched me! And one day... one day, my dear old granddad walked out of a tenth floor window too, on his own volition, of course..."

They gaped at him speechless at this. Nobody felt up to answer anything to a man as sick as that, and he once again gave them one of his charming smiles.

"And now that I managed to quench your thirst for information, I need to be going. I have a world full of your kind needing a leader who can give them a system, where they can fully embrace their very nature." he looked at Juliana regretfully "I'm very sorry, I cannot take you with me. You would be the perfect tool for my needs! But I'll need to do with your son for now, or should I say brother instead?"

Juliana stood there petrified. Of course he knew! He couldn't have sensed anything from her, and since he sensed the same blankness from Data, he could have concluded what she actually was - maybe even before she herself knew! She looked at Deanna with dread in her eyes: did she know as well? Did they all know?!

They were all so shocked that when Jones pulled out a small device from his pocket, it took them more than a second to react - and in that time, he simply pushed a button "Au revoir!" he smirked as he dissolved into green particles in front of the stunned Bridge crew.

"Romulan ship decloaking at the northern polar region of the planet!" Anderson declared and looking at the view screen, they could see the enormous ship shimmer into visibility right in front of the runabout.

"Shields up!" Picard commanded realizing just where Jones have beamed.

"Captain!" Anderson called out "The runabout is a sitting duck just ahead of the Romulans, Sir!"

"Red alert! Prepare quantum torpedoes!" Picard ordered "Conn, intercept the Romulan ship! Navigate between them and the runabout, full impulse!"

"The ship is targeting the runabout!" Anderson declared.

"Open hailing frequencies!" Picard called quickly "Romulan ship! You're about to fire on a Federation shuttlecraft within Federation territory! This is a severe breach of the Treaty of Algeron! Disarm your weapons and leave this sector immediately!"

"No answer, Captain." they heard from tactical.

"Conn, how much time till we-"

"Too late, Sir!" Anderson declared on a shaky voice, and they watched in dread as the runabout was hit by the Romulan disruptor. Anderson tapped her console "Direct hit to the runabout's propulsion system!"

The Romulan ship then unexpectedly seemed to obey Picard: they disappeared behind their cloak.

There was a moment of stunned silence on the Bridge seeing that. "What the hell?" Will asked stepping up to the view screen.

"They probably realized that the Captain was right." the inexperienced Anderson told them innocently.

"No, Romulans never do half a job." Will replied.

"It depends what the job actually was." Deanna said.

"What is the status of the runabout?" Picard asked.

After some tapping, Anderson sighed "No good, Sir. They're losing anti-matter containment. They will suffer a warp-core breach in about twenty seconds."

"Can we beam them back?" Beverly asked on a desperate voice.

"Negative. It seems the runabout itself is jamming our transporter lock-on." Anderson replied on a tense voice.

"Data..." Picard growled "Open a channel!" he ordered.

"Channel open, Sir!" the tactical officer answered.

"Data, this is Captain Picard, do you hear me? We need to beam you out of there!" Only static noise came through. "Data, do you hear me?!"

"He won't answer you, Sir!" Deanna declared "They still think, Jones is here, and if they come back, he'd take Emma with him."

"We have to out-think him! Riker to Engineering!"

"La Forge here!"

"Geordi, can you beam anything that's big enough to be a person off of that runabout? Now!"

"Stand by, Sir!"

"I don't have time to stand-by! Geordi!"

But before the Chief Engineer could reply, orange light filled the room as they had to watch the runabout blew into tiny pieces in front of their very eyes.

"Geordi, did you manage to lock on to them?!" Will asked desperately hoping for a positive answer.

"No, Sir, there's nothing to lock on to..."

They watched the burning wreck twist and float about over the blue planet, against the dark sky in silence. Beverly put an arm around Juliana as the elder woman put a hand to her mouth stifling a sob.

"Oh, my god..." Deanna breathed feeling tears forming in her eyes. She glanced to her side and saw that the Admiral stood there almost as if he was in a trance - she could sense his overpowering shame and guilt. It all mixed with her own emotions and with the distress of the rest of the crew, and she knew that even with practice of long years, she wouldn't be able to keep such strong feelings out. She wiped her tears from her cheek.

"Could someone explain to me what on Earth has happened?" they heard Geordi's confused voice coming through the comlink, and Will exchanged glances with the Captain, wiping his mouth with his hand before he answered.

"You better come up here, Geordi... You better come up..."

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Holidays, my dear readers! - I know, I know, after a cliffhanger like that, you're not entirely happy... But anyways, I just wanted to thank you for following my story this whole year; thank you for your tenacity and patience! :)**


	48. Chapter 48

"I want my wife and the two others with her beamed over to this ship!" Jones ordered after appearing on the Romulan ship and finding himself face to face with Sela.

She snorted "You're no one to make orders around here!" she dropped not even looking at him, where she was sitting in the command chair "Count your blessings, that I went along with providing you a route of escape! Breaching the Treaty of Algeron is by no means forbidden by the Senate, but getting caught in the act means a court martial - the only thing I took that risk for is to set up our dilithium business again!"

He stepped up to her with blazing eyes, and grabbed her arm making her look into his eyes "If I don't have them, you can say goodbye to your little business on my planet!"

She dragged her arm away from his grip "Who do you think you are to threaten me, human?!" she stood face to face with him "Don't you think we haven't tried beaming them over?! Not that I'm interested in either your little concubine or the other humna, but the android would be something I'd get three ranks of promotion for! But he's too clever, he scrambles the transporter signal. We cannot lock on to them!" she retorted.

His features straightened as he seemed to be thinking for a moment "Then scare them out of there!" he hissed.

"What?"

He looked into her eyes with his usual smirk "Once they're on the planet, they're mine!"

"In case you've forgotten, the planet cannot be scanned thoroughly because of the kelbonite crust! Once they're on the planet, they could be lost forever, you obtuse primate!"

"You don't need scanners if you have the wits!" he retorted, then snorted in arrogance "You, people of the 24th century are so dependent on technology that you forgot how to use your heads!"

"I'd be more careful about how to phrase my remarks, human, before you get a taste of Romulan disruptor technology!" she hissed but then grimaced "What are you planning?" she asked on a lower voice.

"If they are trapped on the planet, there's only one place they can go to. One place that I've had watched for weeks now, waiting for just the right time!" he smiled, and his eyes glinted with triumph "The Resistance!"

"Tactical!" Sela's voice snapped harshly in her native tongue "Target the propulsion system of the shuttlecraft! Fire!"

* * *

Geordi was scanning the rubble left after the explosion of the runabout the third time and growled under his breath "Why couldn't you call me earlier? What would it have taken to say 'Geordi, scan the runabout for lifeforms'? No, you have to tell me in the last second..."

"Geordi, please..." Deanna tried to sooth him but to no good.

"Geordi, please" he repeated on a mocking high-pitched voice "Of course, you can ask me now! AFTER my best friend blew into a thousand pieces along with his girlfriend!" he grumbled on tapping the engineering console angrily.

"We don't know that yet!" Will snapped "Stop complaining and just do your job!"

Geordi swirled to him, his eyes were flashing with anger "You know what? I wouldn't have to do THIS job, if you've done yours properly!"

Will stepped up to him fuming "Are you accusing me of something?! Come on, out with it!"

"I'm not accusing you of anything, but if you notified me earlier, I could have done SOMETHING maybe more useful than scanning for their remains!"

"Stop it!" Beverly called out stepping between the two of them. They looked at her taken aback and in the sudden silence, heard Juliana sniffle from where she was standing at a corner with Deanna. Their hearts sank, and looking at Beverly who also had unshed tears in her eyes, they felt very guilty.

"Gentlemen." Picard stood next to Beverly "All of us is extremely stressed out. Pointing fingers to one another won't help anyone. Mr. La Forge, I refuse to accept that they're gone until we have solid proof of that, so please continue your scans." he looked around "If there's anybody who feels that he or she needs a break, take one, but I want people on the Bridge who are able to focus. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Captain." the Bridge crew replied on a silent humming.

They continued to work for another half an hour and finally, Geordi walked up to the command chairs, where the Captain and Will were sitting.

"Yes, Mr. La Forge." Picard straightened his back listening.

"It seems I have good news." the Engineer told them steepling his fingers for a moment "I could not find organic tissue nor any of Data's component elements within the rubble."

Beverly, Deanna and a visibly shaken Juliana gathered around him.

"Does this mean, they're alive?" she asked on a hopeful whisper.

Geordi turned to her and nodded "It seems so. Though human tissue might disintegrate completely in an anti-matter explosion, if they had been on the runabout, we would have found some residue of Data's component elements. Duranium for example." he shook his head "None of these elements turned up on the scans."

"Thank god..." Deanna breathed relieved and squeezed Juliana's hand in hers.

"The question is: where are they now?" the Captain asked on a grim voice.

"They must have beamed off to the planet. That was their original plan." Beverly told them a little surprised that they were having doubts about it.

"Not necessarily." Picard told her leaning forward and steepling his fingers "We know that Premier Jones was beamed off the Enterprise by a Romulan transporter, most probably to the bird-of-prey we've seen. What if they managed to beam Data and the others over to the Romulan ship?"

Geordi shook his head "I don't think, that's possible, Sir."

"Why?" Deanna asked curious.

"I could not get a lock on anything on the runabout exactly because it was jamming all transporter signals. Romulan transporter technology works on the same principals ours does. If they wanted to beam them off, they couldn't have more luck with it than we did."

"So they are on the planet for sure." Will mused.

"I could try to check the remains of the runabout's transporter, there might be something in the logs - if they're still legible." Geordi offered.

"Why do we waste time on that?" Beverly asked impatiently, and they all looked at her "We know Emma wanted to go to the Resistance, and we do have the coordinates. Why don't we just beam down and check?"

The Captain nodded "Agreed. That would be the simplest way to make sure where they are. Number One, arrange an away-team. And before you object, I'm leading it." he declared and stood up.

Will looked away with raised eyebrows not even trying to defy him this time "Yes, Sir." he said standing.

"Captain!" they all heard Juliana suddenly "Wait a moment, please."

"Yes, Doctor Tainer?" he looked at her and gently touching her arm added "I understand that you wish to accompany us, but I'd rather you stayed-"

"It's not about that, Captain!" she shook her head, and they all looked at her curious "I've been meaning to speak to you earlier. About my findings of the tectonic activities of Epsilon Four."

"Tectonic activities." Picard frowned a little impatiently.

"Yes, Captain. Ever since we left the planet, tectonic activities increased by at least fifteen percent. The quakes occur more often and are more violent than they had been before. This is what I wanted to report to you. The planet is starting to be geologically unstable."

They all frowned surprised "But why? What could cause such a thing?" Geordi asked.

"Though I'm not entirely sure, I believe I can give you a hypothesis." she started to explain "When we were underground in that mine shaft, over ten thousand meters deep, the quake that buried Emma and trapped us was the first sign of a rare chain-reaction process started inside the dilithium lattices."

"Chain-reaction?" Deanna asked curious.

"Yes. If and only if the dilithium crystal lattices are aligned, they tend to cause tremors. You might remember this from your mission in the Drema sector, eight years ago. The reports of that mission are now standard educational material in all geological faculties. It has also been determined that the alignment of the lattices in itself cannot cause catastrophic geological phenomena. Tremors should be mild, as they've been so far on Epsilon Four."

"But Doctor," Will cut in "in the Drema sector, those planets seemed to tear themselves apart from inside."

She nodded "I know. There, the natural heat of the planet started the chain-reaction. Compared to Epsilon Four, planets in the Dreman solar system have a much hotter climate, because they're close to several stars. They absorb a lot more thermal energy, therefore the natural heat of the planets are much higher. The climate of Epsilon Four is different. It's much like that of Earth's, a lot colder than the Dreman planets."

"So this chain-reaction you're talking about is not caused by a natural phenomenon?" Picard asked wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"No, Captain. I believe when Premier Jones fired that Romulan disruptor several times in the mines, the dilithium lattices absorbed the thermal energy of the shots, the heat of the ricochets, amplified it and transported it from one lattice to the other. From this point onwards, the process is the same as it was in the Drema sector. The heat is focused by the unusual crystalline structure of the dilithium, and then it's turned into mechanical energy which causes ever more violent tremors and quakes. This is a self-reinforcing process. Once started, it will not stop on its own, but continue until the tension is relieved by a catastrophic event."

They all gaped at her shocked, and Beverly asked what they all had on their minds "So you're saying Epsilon Four is in the process of tearing itself apart, if we don't do anything to prevent it?"

"I believe so." she nodded and then went on turning her palms up "I'm sure their geologists already recognized that there's something terribly out of place with their planet. However, with the methods and technology of the twenty-first century, they won't be able to identify the problem, let alone solve it."

A heavy silence descended on all of them, and the Captain spoke on a grim voice "There are over three hundred thousand people down there... How long a time do you think they have?"

Juliana slightly shrugged unsure "Hard to say. Before the planet rips itself apart, their buildings and other structures will first be destroyed, presumably killing some of the population. But in a few days, the quakes will start to become so violent, that they will start to take victims of their own."

Geordi turned to her curious "Doctor Tainer, in the Drema sector, we were able to stop this process at one of the planets. Do you think, we could do the same here and save the population?"

Juliana glanced away troubled "Theoretically, it's possible. I'd need to go over the calculations, and we'd need to figure out how to properly measure where the latices are located beneath the kelbonite surface. But I believe, it could be done."

"Question is, do we have the authority to do it?" Will asked "If they don't accept any kind of help from the Federation..."

"We could help them without letting them know about it." Deanna proposed "The Dremans had no idea about our help either except for the little girl, Sarjenka." she reminded them.

"We used her plea for help as an excuse to breach the Prime Directive." the Captain growled remembering "But this is not as simple as that with Epsilon Four. No one asked for our help, and Epsilon Four doesn't fall under the Prime Directive, neither Federational jurisdiction. We may help them, but only if they request it. Without an official request, our hands are bound. Officially, of course..."

Beverly shook her head frustrated "But we will not receive any such request, since the Epsilonians have no idea what is going on with their planet. And Jones will not talk to us - even if he did, and we could explain this to him, he'd think we're trying to trick him. Back where we started."

"What a perfectly vicious little circle..." Will growled.

Geordi let out a frustrated breath massaging his neck "Data... he has the worst of lucks: they jumped out of the frying pan right into the fire."

"As any member of a society can make a request for help on behalf of their people," Deanna began "why couldn't Emma or Mr. Mils make that request as a full citizen of Epsilon Four? Just one more reason to find them quickly!"

"And since Jones must be already looking for them, probably with the help of the Romulans, we better hurry!" Beverly reminded them.

"Let's waste no more time!" Picard declared, and they all went to prepare.

* * *

Data, Earl and Emma had been walking in a thick forest for an hour, climbing a steep hillside. Data turned back and held out a hand to Emma to pull her up to the ledge he was standing on. She accepted the offered hand, and he pulled her up to him in one motion. She held on to him to steady herself, and for a brief moment, she felt the security of his arms around her waist again. Her pulse spiked as she gazed into his beautiful eyes, standing there suddenly so close to him, and she found herself overwhelmed by a need to just push herself up against him and kiss him as deep as she could.

But he just looked at her a little confused before releasing her and bowing to help Earl up too. She looked at him longingly as he turned and stepped ahead to lead the way without a glance at her. His visible ignorance felt like a bucket of cold water in the neck, and she suddenly felt really angry - she wasn't even quite sure at whom.

"So, tell us again, how did you screw up the coordinates, Deadpan?" she asked pointedly frowning as they walked on on the narrow pathway.

Data didn't turn back as he answered patiently "I did not 'screw' anything up, Emma. As I have mentioned, I simply ran out of time to provide the full coordinates to the transporter before the anti-matter explosion occurred. Once the computer acknowledges that the coordinates are not provided in the correct manner, but the executive override is given, it fills the missing digits with zeros. Thus, we are not far from our destination coordinates. Only thirty kilometers away from the once studio lot. This is the north side of the Ridgeback Mountains, Ethel city and the lot is to the south."

"Thirty kilometers..." Earl grunted under his breath. He was panting from the effort of climbing a mountain.

Emma turned back to her old friend - and fought off a wave of dizziness - she smiled at him feeling her heart melt at the thought that they were together and going home... "Stop grumbling, Earl." she chided softly "This little excursion might give us an extra leeway!" she entwined her arm through his as he looked at her with a slight annoyance as she explained "I'm sure the Captain will be looking for us at the Resistance, even if Bev says nothing to him about our plans. He is a loyal officer and not a stupid one at that. But once he acknowledges that we're not there, he might be content with the fact that we actually died in the blast! At least I hope-" she trailed off, and the next thing Data heard from behind was Earl's alarmed voice:

"Emma!"

Data turned back and gaped seeing Emma lying in Earl's arms on the ground, limp, with closed eyes. He jumped back to them and crouched opposite Earl, where he was squatting at her side.

"Little bird!" the old man whispered stroking her cheek, while Data scanned her lifesigns with a tricorder.

"She lost consciousness, but otherwise she is unharmed. In effect, she is asleep." he said putting the instrument away.

"Give her some medicine!" Earl urged the android worried, but Data shook his head.

"No. Doctor Crusher warned us about her getting exhausted, if she does not rest. She refused my offer of carrying her, so now at least, her body will get a chance to regenerate and rest." he explained and putting his palms underneath her, picked her up as if she weighted nothing. "Let us proceed." he commanded on a silent voice, and they made a move again.

After another hour, Earl couldn't hold on any longer, and asked for a short break to catch his breath. He sat down on a flat stone and took a few gasps of air stretching his sore limbs. Data simply stood there holding the still sleeping Emma in his arms and gazed out over their surroundings. In the silence, only the sounds of the forest could be heard, the air was warm as the autumn sun shone through the canopy of leaves.

"Nice, isn't it?" Earl asked after a few minutes looking out to the forest. Data turned to him and looked at him waiting for him to go on. Earl stood and lazily walked up to him "We used to go hiking with Emma and my son and some others from the Resistance in this forest. We tried to at least pretend that we have a normal life. For a few hours, we believed it." He looked from the sleeping Emma out over the forest again "We'll need to find shelter for the night. We won't be able to take the remaining kilometers, while the sun is still up." he chuckled wryly "That is, I cannot walk that much in a few hours' time..."

"I could carry you too, if you were willing to hold on to my neck." Data offered casually, and Earl chuckled at first thinking that he was joking.

Then seeing the android's expression, he shook his head "I must decline, my friend." Data was about to ask why, but the old man went on before he could pry on "There used to be a small cabin, a shed somewhere among the trees. We found it once or twice, but my memories are quite vague about where it actually was."

"If you can explain its surroundings to me, I might be able to find it." Data offered.

Earl looked at him frowning suspiciously "You might. How?"

"I have a contour map of the Ridgeback Mountains stored in my memory banks. Before the mission, I looked up all available data on the planet, this was among the ones I never thought I would consider useful one day."

The old man nodded appreciatively "Very well, lets walk, and I tell you what I remember." he said but stopped short seeing the android standing there rigid, unmoving "What is it?"

Data looked around with a deep frown "Do you not hear it?" he asked on a whisper.

"Hear what?" Earl asked stepping back to him alarmed.

"The birds. They grew completely silent!"

No sooner than he uttered the words, the ground began to move under their feet, and they had to counterbalance to steady themselves.

"Don't worry, it'll pass in a moment." Earl told him knowing the tremors of Epsilon Four pretty well.

But instead of it dying down as it should, it became stronger! So strong that Earl finally felt he lost his footing and had to hold on to Data's upper arm for support - he had no idea, how the android managed to remain standing, especially with Emma in his arms! There was a cracking noise, and Data turned to cover Emma's (and Earl's) body from getting hurt by the enormous tree falling across the path just a few meters from them. They stumbled to a rocky ledge and crouched underneath it for cover. The tremor became a quake, and Data tried everything to protect the two vulnerable humans with his body. The quake raged on for ten more minutes. Huge rocks and dirt slid about them everywhere, and they even saw animals running frightened to death down the slope. Data could tell that Earl was no less afraid, and somehow amongst these most unsettling circumstances, he sensed a certain contentment that Emma did not have to consciously experience this extreme natural phenomenon. The quake then slowly subsided and peeking out on the path, they saw that the trunk of the huge tree that had fallen next to them was blocking their way.

Earl let out a long breath "Something is not okay here..." he whispered still visibly scared, and Data looked at him questioningly. He shook his head "From time to time, there are tremors, but not as violent as this, that huge trees are twisted out of their roots!" he said motioning at the trunk.

Data cocked his head "Perhaps the tree was rotten inside. But you are correct in your assessment of the strength of the tremor. My mother and I examined the tectonic activities of Epsilon Four before we arrived here, and nothing indicates that their magnitudes should go above 4.9 on the Richter scale. By my estimation, this was around 6.3. And the Richter scale is a logarithmic scale!"

"Whatever you want to imply with that..." Earl - not being a man of numbers - grumbled grimacing.

Data started to explain readily "I wanted to say that the range between the two values on the Richter scale are in actuality bigger than they seem by their seemingly linear nature, since the value represented by each equidistant mark on any logarithmic scale is the value at the previous mark MULTIPLIED by a constant-"

But Earl put a hand on his arm "Data, if I haven't understood it in my last seventy years, I won't start now! Let's make a move! We have a tree to climb over - and who knows what else fell onto our path!"

Data nodded with a slight frown. He couldn't help to be reminded of the Captain when he would usually tell him that the explanation of a technical problem needs to be conducted at a later time. The memory gave him a sense of missing his family and their little customs he became so used to, that they were almost an integral part of him. The sensation reminded him what it felt like to experience nostalgia - but he had no time to brood about the comparison of the feelings he experienced in an emotional state and his basic sensations he experienced in his unemotional state. They stood and started to walk.


	49. Chapter 49

Beverly stood in her friend's old room at the Resistance's holo-disguised building and stared out at the beautiful sunset over the once studio lot. They had been looking around for over an hour, but found no trace of Emma or Data - or anybody else for that matter... She sighed feeling her heart sink: why did she let them go?!

"Beverly." she heard from behind her, and turning, she saw Picard standing in the doorway.

She swallowed and cleared her throat to somehow find her voice "Have you found anything?"

He walked up to where she was standing at the window and looked out "No, nothing." he replied then turned back to her "The whole building is empty. Not a single soul is around. They vanished without a trace."

"So Jones was here before us..." she concluded on a low voice bowing her head.

"We don't know yet. But presumably, yes." he sighed heavily seeing how devastated she was. But they were now on a mission, this was not the time for emotions "But even if he was, we don't know whether he found Data and Emma here at that time." he told her resisting the urge to give her comfort in any other manner but in words.

She looked at him "Do you think they weren't here when the place was raided?"

"Nothing suggest the contrary. Or have you found any trace of Emma here?"

She shook her head "No. I looked around." she motioned to the bed "The bed is cold, nobody has been sleeping in it for a while - and Emma would definitely need rest. I checked the bathroom: the soap on the washbasin is dry. It hasn't been used in days either. Nor Emma's towel."

"So they haven't been here yet." he concluded feeling a measure of relief.

"But where are they if not here? Emma was adamant about coming here. She said the only place they could be safe is with the Resistance."

"Well... That theory definitely proved wrong." he stated dryly. He walked around aimlessly brooding "You know, Beverly, I'm not surprised at your friend's mindless behaviour. This is just one instance of the many occasions." he stopped and turned back to her "But Data." he shook his head seemingly really confused "His clarity of thought has been my own guide for almost a decade. And now..."

"And now, he's in love." she finished for him on a soft voice.

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before he answered "That is not an excuse for insurgence."

"Jean-Luc..."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Beverly, your friend is the worst influence ever on him. She's reckless, irresponsible, even self-destructive! And Data doesn't have the kind of experience to see that she's dragging him into something, he doesn't have the power to control."

Beverly stood there frozen to the spot gaping as she listened "Jean-Luc! Emma..." she pulled her shoulders up looking for the right words "Emma is not bad influence!"

"For god's sake, Beverly!" he snapped "Data, our Data, committed an act of rebellion for her! He broke out of the brig knowing full well that Riker and Troi were on their way back! He broke out of there knowing that for him, there might be no way back! Even if they survive this all, his career is practically over! He sacrificed everything for a woman he'd known for only two months! And who's selfish enough to abuse his implicit trust and childish infatuation!"

"She's not a bad person! She's troubled, yes, hot-headed, yes, but essentially, the situation she's got into by being married to Jones is not her fault! And I refuse to let you treat her that way!"

"You can defend her all you want! As her friend, it is your obligation to do so. But I'm not Lieutenant Jones' friend. But Data's! And I find it extremely difficult to forgive someone who effectively ruined the life of one of my closest friends."

She let out a long breath: she recognized his overbearing care for Data to be something similar she used to feel when Westley had his first girls in his teens. She knew they were not suited for him, still she knew she had to let him make his own choices - and some of them turned out to be a lot better than she thought at first glance.

She stepped up to him with a pleading expression "Haven't you seen them together? Just once? Haven't you seen it in their eyes?" he looked away stubbornly, and she put a gentle hand to his cheek to turn his gaze back to hers "They need each other." she smiled understandingly "I know it's difficult to see Data make a decision based only on his emotions. But if you care about him as much as I know you do, you have to accept that he did change in that regard. He became a lot more human. More we've ever seen."

He looked into her eyes for a long moment, but before he could answer, they heard voices from the corridor. They turned to the door to see Will and Geordi stepping through it.

"Have you found anything, Number One?" Picard asked with his usual carved in stone expression.

"It seems nobody has been around for days. There's no sign of a struggle though. It's as if these people vanished right in the middle of having dinner, or reading a book or doing any other activity." he shrugged seemingly quite bewildered of the thought "Creepy..."

"So Jones found the Resistance." Beverly started to list the facts as Geordi walked about in the room to check around as she went on "He arrested everybody. And then left it all here without guards. Why?"

"Maybe not without guards." they heard Geordi from the window as he was looking outside. They turned to him, and he went on "The façade opposite this building. There was a flash of light in one of the windows just now." They stood at the window to look out, but saw nothing "If I compensate for the light of the setting sun, and go through all the spectrum from infra-red to ultra-violet, I can see an occasional movement there. You won't spot it with your human eyes." he added seeing them squinting against the light.

"So he is waiting for them to walk into his trap." Picard concluded.

"It seems so, Captain." he nodded.

Picard turned to his subordinates "Let's try to surprise Mr. Jones for a change!"

"I'd love to, Captain, but how?" Will asked wincing.

"We'll do exactly as he expects us to do!" Picard answered with a small smile.

* * *

Emma tried to move her head as she was waking, but she felt so stiff that she growled silently against the numb pain in her neck. There was a rhythmical rocking underneath her, she felt strong arms under her back and legs, and she could hear the steady heart beat of the owner of those arms as her face was pressed against his chest. She slowly realized that she must have been carried like that for quite a while, if she was as stiff as she felt.

"Mmmm..." she blinked and squinted against the darkness "What happened?" she whispered confused.

"You collapsed and have been sleeping for the last few hours." she heard her lover's voice.

"We're still on the way..." she realized looking around and seeing the dark forest around them.

"Yes, but we will arrive soon to our temporary lodgings." he replied on a colorless tone.

She sighed hearing him and seeing that he did not look at her. How can you be so far, when you're right here? When I can hear your heart beat in rhythm with mine? she felt a catch in her throat. She felt a little humiliated by the fact that she needed to be carried - as if she was really sick - and wished she could just hop off from his arms. But slowly, she figured that these might be the last moments she was able to cuddle up to him so tightly, if what she suspected from his behaviour was true that they were... over. She couldn't help herself, she reached out and sliding a hand to his chest, she hid her face into his uniform and started to weep in silence.

It took Data a while to understand what was happening, but when he felt the wetness of her tears through his uniform, he frowned looking down at her alarmed.

"Emma, are you alright? Are you in pain in some fashion?"

She felt him stop and felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned her head towards the touch and saw Earl standing there with a worried expression. She looked up but failed to see the same emotion on her lover's face - this brought even more tears to her eyes.

But she nodded faintly "I'm fine... Just a little tired..." she told them on a hoarse whisper.

She felt that Data held her a little closer to himself, and she looked up at him shocked - did that mean something?! That he still cared?! It must be! Otherwise, why would he be here at all?

"I know that this is not the most comfortable position for you. But please, try to rest some more. We will arrive shortly." he told her looking into her eyes.

Despite herself, she gave him a small nod and put her head back to his chest resignedly. To her utter shock then, she felt him pressing his lips softly to her forehead. She looked up at him gaping, but he looked only at Earl.

"Do you still manage? I CAN actually carry you too, if only a bit awkwardly." Data offered once again.

Earl nodded "Don't worry. Just try to make sure, she's comfortable." he said looking at Emma smiling lovingly, and she finally returned it weakly.

She felt so confused and dozy that she couldn't even think about objecting to being still carried. They started out again, and in the warmth and security of his arms, Emma fell asleep again to the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat.

When she woke up again, she felt more rested than ever before without a shot of L-Cordrazine since she'd woken up in sickbay, though she was still exhausted. She blinked and turned her head about curiously taking in her surroundings: she was lying on something hard she eventually recognized to be the floor, but she was warm and a flickering orange light filled the small room she found herself in. It reminded her of Earl's living room at the Resistance, and she suddenly remembered sitting on a couch next to Bev, listening to her old friend. So she DID lead them to the Resistance. She sighed turning her head to the side and looking into the flames dancing delightfully in the small fireplace. The room seemed oddly familiar, and slowly, she recalled that she'd been here once with Earl and his son during one of their hiking excursions. How long ago that was! Most of the people who came with them hiking were now dead or imprisoned... Her throat closed thinking about them, and she took a deep breath to dismiss the sensation.

She then gathered her strength and grudgingly sat up, pulling her legs underneath her. The thin blanket rolled off her chest, and she rubbed a hand against her arm: she had a Starfleet uniform top above the thin sickbay gown she'd been wearing - and in a moment's time, she realized it was Data's. She pulled the two sides tightly together as if she wanted to hug the material.

"He's outside." she heard suddenly from her side. Earl was lying there near her on the hard wooden floor under a blanket propping his head up on his fist and watching her. She looked at him with slight confusion in her eyes, and he went on "He said he needs to guard us, and he cannot do that here, inside. Would lengthen his reaction time - or what..." he grunted a little bemused "I suppose he wanted to say, you'd divert his attention." he added chuckling. She bowed her head and sighed wearily. He sat up grunting uncomfortably against the pain in his stiff and sore muscles, and slid closer to her. Stroking the length of her arm gently, he asked concerned "How are you feeling?"

She shook her head with a grimace shrugging, and took a moment before she looked up at him again and answered "As if I was hit by a steamroller. My mind is just... it's all over the place." she confessed feeling her throat closing again. She shook her head again now visibly scared "I don't remember so many things, Earl! I don't even remember meeting you again!"

"You don't?" Earl frowned worried.

She swallowed hard "It's because of the coma. It should go away sooner or later. And as Bev said, all my memories should come back, but... " she looked at him desperate "Right now, I feel as if I had a hole in my mind! It's scary..."

Earl took her hand and rubbed her cold fingers gently, comfortingly "Well, let's see if I can fill that hole for you." he told her with a smile and went on telling her the story of the last few days - at least the parts he was aware of.

Shortly, Emma sat there dizzy from all the new information she was exposed to in little more than twenty minutes: "I brought the Enterprise crew to the Resistance. Ed is conspiring with Romulans. He shot Data with a disruptor - which he survived! You hooked up with Data's MOM who then turned out to be an android! And on top of that all, I was buried under a mountain and was dead for half an hour?" she shook her head feeling lost amongst the turns of events she'd missed "Can I just go back to that blissfully ignorant coma I was in?"

He smiled lovingly seeing that her humour changed nothing "No, you cannot!" he told her, then shrugged seemingly very embarrassed "And before you get the wrong impression, and start making things up about Juliana and me... you know, she did not seem to share my enthusiasm about pursuing any kind of relationship... So please don't even start - because I can see you want to start. But please don't." he added looking away, and she could see he was actually very hurt. Still she was so curious, it took all her strength to keep her questions in! Glancing at her, he could tell she was a hair's breadth away from going for an interrogation session, so to avoid that, he held up his handds really wound-up "Okay, okay, if you want to know... when we spent that night together at the Resistance, it was exactly because we thought we'd have no chance for anything more. She was to go back to the Enterprise where she belonged, and I was to stay with the Resistance where I belonged so... You know, I'm an old fashioned guy, I'm not into one-nighters. It just seemed, it was all we could have then, so why not grab at the opportunity... But afterwards, we both went back to the Enterprise, and I was hoping..." he shook his head again resignedly "I suppose it meant more to me than to her..." he shrugged again looking up into her eyes again with a forced smile "Anyway... it doesn't matter now. All that matters now is you safe. And healthy." he looked into her eyes lovingly "You have no idea how it felt to wait, while all I could do was hoping that one day I'd have a chance at sitting with you like we do now, and talking to you again, Little Bird!" he whispered, and she wordlessly cuddled up to him. He pulled her close holding her in a firm embrace planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

She pulled away after a long moment looking into his eyes "Look, if one day, I woke up to find I'm not the person I thought I was all my life, like a Kafka character from Metamorphosis, I sure as hell would go through an existential crisis." she turned her palms up "In any other circumstances, where you'd be together and had a chance to discover more about each other, I'd say, just give her some time to find herself."

"I told her, for me nothing changed by knowing that she's an android. I still... feel the same about her!" he told her frustrated.

"Yes, but probably, she has no idea how SHE feels about herself!" she squeezed his hand gently "When one day, this whole mess is over - and if we survive what's to come - I hope you'll go to her and give the two of you a chance at being happy!" she smiled "She's an extraordinary lady. And you're a perfect match! I want you to be happy, Earl!"

Earl sighed "If we survive..." he then smiled at her stroking her hair out of her face gently "Why don't you go to your young fellow, and do as you advise me? You should find your chances at happiness too."

She bowed her head suddenly feeling an insurmountable desperation welling up in her "I... I don't think he'd welcome me... anywhere near him." she whispered and wiped a stray tear off her cheek.

He stroked her arm gently "Why would you think that?" he asked confused.

She shook her head still looking down "I... I don't remember if we ever reconciled... I just remember that we had a huge fight - in the last few days, we couldn't have one lousy talk without it turning into shouting. I-I don't know if we managed to figure ourselves out or... just broke up." she broke down crying, and he pulled her close stroking her back "Oh, I'm so ridiculous with this blubbering!" she moaned "Ever since I woke up, I do nothing but crying! Anxiety and restlessness is a known symptom of anemia, but I just hate myself so much for not being able to control it!"

"Emma... Shh... Hush, you're talking nonsense."

She pulled away looking at him visibly distressed "Earl... I found this incredible guy. And as long as we were together, I know I kept pressing him about all the wrong things! I was never able to openly show him or tell him what he means to me, because I'm just so afraid! Ed took so much from me, that sometimes I wonder, if the real me, who used to love him without reservation, who gave everything to him... if that gal is still there. Or am I just an empty shell, who's not able to give Data the kind of love he deserves, because... I simply ran out of it all! I prodigalized all my love to somebody who never deserved it, who used me as if I was an object he could possess. And there's nothing left anymore. Nothing, Earl! And if I think about that, I think... it's maybe better this way." her voice broke, and she started to cry openly as she went on "If we broke up, I should actually be happy for him, because it'd give him a chance to find someone who can give him what he deserves. If only it didn't hurt this much!" she hid her face in her palms, and Earl pulled her into a loving embrace once again.

He of all people knew the most how much courage it must have taken Emma to at least try to start a relationship after her marriage. But seeing how devastated she could still get over her own inhibitions, the painful thought struck him that she might never be able to completely move away from her past and heal her wounds. But he had to try to help!

He gently pushed her away and taking her face into his palms wiped her tears with his thumbs "Or you could just go out now, and try to be completely honest with him."

She shook her head "No..." she moaned fearfully.

"You could say, he's worth it enough to stake it all on a single cast, and you could go up to him, and tell him, you love him, and you're sorry, and that you want him back. Despite whatever happened between the two of you."

He let her go, and she sniffled wiping her face "What if he says he doesn't want any of this anymore?" she asked on a thin voice.

"Would he be here, if he thought that?"

"Earl, you've seen him! You've seen how distant he's been ever since we met again in sickbay!"

"Em, he was just as worried as I was, while you were in a coma. On the morning when we went to the mines in my car, you were sleeping on his lap..." he shook his head "I have no idea whatever happened between the two of you before you came to me, I also don't know what he figured in that android mind of his during those three days he had to spend in the brig all alone. But it's sure as hell, that you won't figure it out sitting here with me, crying about lost opportunities. And as much as I want to console you, I'm not helping you, if I'm nursing you and letting you shun away from the possibility of being in love." he stroked her hand gently "Sometimes being in love is more about taking the risks than anything else."

She sighed and nodded weakly. But she felt so exhausted... AND hungry! She probably was artificially fed while in coma, but they'd left over half a day ago. "Alright..." she whispered "But first I need some of that L-Cordrazine, and some food, if we have - I don't want to pass out on him, while I'm trying to unburden my little heart... It would do no good to the motivation factor." she grimaced wryly.

Earl chuckled and fetched the bag they brought from the Enterprise.


	50. Chapter 50

**M stuff - you were warned :) Actually, just go on reading even if you're not into M scenes, believe me, you'll know exactly when things start to heat up, and you have to quit. :)**

* * *

After eating some energy bars and having a shot of L-Cordrazine, Emma walked out of the small shed rested and full of energy - if only she didn't have that slight trembling around her heart. She sighed trying to get rid of the uncomfortable sensation. Ah, she needed to get over this, for good or ill.

It was dark outside, only the two moons shone through the leaves of the huge trees around them faintly from behind thin clouds. She was all alone. Data was nowhere to be seen. She hugged herself feeling his uniform circling her as if it was his arms. The shed had a tiny porch with a railing made of wood - all pretty weathered of course. She walked up to one of the wooden columns holding the roof of the porch and the railing, and she leaned to it looking out over the woods. The space amongst the trees was pitch dark, the air was getting cold, and apart from the noises of the forest, it was silent and uncanny... Where was he?

She then heard it. It was faint and completely out of place. Somebody was... whistling? She walked off the porch with a slight frown turning her head around curiously. As she neared a tall tree, the whistling became louder, but she still couldn't see anybody. She stopped listening on - it was so familiar! The tune was sometimes slightly off cadence, and it made her involuntarily start to croon the playful melody.

"Mmmmm... HhhhMmmm... pop! goes the weasel..." she sang the last line she did remember, then chuckled shaking her head "Deadpan..."

In the next moment, he landed with a soft thud on the ground right in front of her.

"Ohmygod!" she breathed putting a hand to her chest and looking at him wide-eyed.

"I did not mean to scare you." he apologized with a deadpan expression.

She grimaced bemused - of course not - then turned her head around and upward "How did you climb up there?!" she asked looking at the trunk of the tree: it was barren, there were no handholds whatsoever, just the thick trunk at least five meters high before the branches started.

"Using my hands and feet of course." he replied as if it was obvious that he could climb such trees.

She turned her head back to him squinting "I suspected that much, thank you." she nodded with a mock-smile, then decided to let it go looking into his eyes. Her heart missed a beat: oh, this would be so much easier if he wasn't as cute as he was - even as deadpan as he was right now...

"You should be resting." he remarked still not showing any kind of emotions, just standing there in front of her with a straight face.

Her features hardened "I wanted to speak to you."

"We will have plenty of time for conversation once you are healthy again."

She let out an annoyed breath "I AM healthy! Don't treat me as if I was an invalid! You're not my mom!" she growled frowning.

"I am aware of the fact. However, Doctor Crusher was also very clear on her instructions." he replied and stepped around her starting to walk away from her.

She slouched watching his back as he walked up to the porch only a few meters from them. Wonderful start... Why can't I just shut up?! He was just worried! Why do I have to snap at him?

She hurried after him and stopped him, before he could open the door, by putting a hand on his where it was on the handle.

He looked into her eyes with a slight confusion in his, and she looked up at him pleading.

"I'm sorry." she told him on a low voice.

He let the handle go pulling his hand out from under hers, and looked at her with a slight frown "For what?"

Oh, why are you doing this? Wincing, she pulled up her shoulders feeling very embarrassed "I... I know you're worried and... I'm grateful for it." she told him wringing her hands nervously "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings by pushing your worry away like that." There it was out. One down, like a thousand more to go...

He shook his head seemingly a little taken aback "You have not hurt my feelings, I can assure you." he told her slowly.

She let out a long breath "But I know I did..." she shrugged again seemingly feeling guilty "Data, I know we've had some pretty nasty fights before coming to the planet - and ON the planet as well... I-I also know that... Ah..." she let out a long, frustrated breath and stepped away from his gaze still not really knowing how to go about this. She was just so lame at this.

He watched her with growing confusion. Why was she apologizing? Was there something she did not tell him earlier? But on the rooftop of the Resistance, she seemed to have been so completely honest with him. Or was this simply the effect of her fatigued and slightly distracted condition? - He considered turning his emotion-chip back on, because it seemed that without it, he lacked the empathy necessary for the interactions a relationship required. But were they safe enough? What if the answer was no, and he would be occupied by his emotions when his rationality was needed?

She stood there at one of the columns and turned back to him. In the faint light, his pale face shone with the moonlight coming through the many holes of the porch roof. He was exquisite. Do you deserve such a guy at all? she asked herself suddenly what she'd always been contemplating, ever since they'd been going out. Even if she didn't, she still needed to try to tell him how she felt, and at least try to straighten things between them.

"Look, I know, I haven't been the girlfriend all guys are dreaming about. I'm sarcastic, grumpy, demanding, too pushy, anti-social and-"

"You are also the woman I love." he cut in, and for a long moment, Emma could do nothing but stare in his eyes - still completely devoid of all emotions.

She opened her mouth, but it took her some time to formulate any words at all "You what..." she breathed.

"I am in love with you. Deeply." he then looked away seemingly pondering "Although, I do not know how my feelings can be compared to human emotions, but I believe that experiencing sensations akin to physical pain when being apart from you, for someone who is not programmed to feel pain at all might be a good indicator of just how deep that emotion goes." he looked into her eyes again pulling his lips into a small smile, he hoped would seem sincere.

She was still dumbstruck but felt her cheeks burning and suddenly noticed that she was trembling as her breathing quickened and her pulse spiked. She took a deep breath and turned away trying to get a hold on her emotions running wild. He stepped up behind her, but the moment, he touched her, she turned back to him seemingly upset.

"And you're telling me this as casually as if you were telling me about being over your daily diagnostics?! After acting as if you didn't even care about me or us or..." she trailed off feeling her throat closing.

"I am sorry, if the manner in which I have let you know about my feelings was not adequate to the content of my words. Without my emotion-chip, it is not always easy to emulate the correct behavioural pattern in a certain situation. However, it also allows me a greater space to be thoroughly honest with you, while not feeling scared of whether or not you requite my feelings. It also gives you the space to be honest without you being scared of hurting me. Currently it is not possible."

"Your emotion-chip..." she breathed seemingly growing pale.

He went on on a lower voice "The procedure was done, while you were unconscious. I pursued to go along with it, so it is done as soon as possible." he explained, and she grew visible scared and shocked.

"YOU pursued it?!"

He nodded with a determined expression "Yes." to her completely disbelieving face, he went on trying hard to explain how he felt while making that decision "I watched the woman I love die during a mission, where I was the commanding officer. While I was responsible for her well-being, for her very life." he glanced away remembering "I listened to her begging me, because she did not wish to leave, she wanted to stay. With me. I heard her breathing become shallow and then stop. I felt her pulse slipping away from underneath my fingertips." he looked back into her eyes "I will never allow anyone to come to any harm, because my emotions do not allow me enough free resources to live up to the responsibility I have over them. I rather go to the Daystrom Institute myself and have them put me on the shelf Lore is lying on in pieces." he told her on his silent, still very determined voice.

She felt all life, all emotions suddenly flowed out of her hearing that. One thing remained, her need to be close to him! Closer than it was possible! She threw her arms around his neck tightly and buried her face in his under-shirt with a muffled cry.

He gently slid his arms around her waist - a little more clumsily than he normally would and inhaled the fragrance of her hair as it touched his face at the nape of her neck. That numb craving that had been steadily growing ever since he lay her on the floor of the shed and went out on a nightwatch a few hours ago, finally lessened slightly. He felt her clinging to him so tightly, heard her crying softly into him and felt her hair underneath and between his fingers - it was a certain sensory input that he missed more than most others. But with a slight frown, he also acknowledged the fact that his resource utilization grew worse as he held on to her: as if his subprocessors were trying to serve his emotion-chip as they did when it was turned on, and they had to assist in processing strong emotions - it was peculiar, because they had nothing to work on. Nothing at all.

She sniffled and pulled away a little to look into his eyes. Having her face so close, feeling her breath on his lips was also a sensory input pattern especially missed - along with her taste. But he could tell she was overwhelmed with her emotions, and he wanted her to first calm down before he tried to appease his wish to kiss her.

She slid her hand from his neck to his cheek and traced his lips with her thumb "Oh, baby..." she whispered gasping and then took a long relieving breath "And I thought you were angry at me..." she mumbled a little embarrassed but also somewhat blaming "I thought I hurt you with something, I thought - I thought we broke up, I just don't remember it."

He frowned a little "You have gaps in your memory." he acknowledged, then after recalling the necessary information "A side effect of the coma. It should pass later on."

She nodded and chuckled tearfully "I know. In case you've forgotten, I'm a doctor."

After a moment, he cocked his head "You are teasing me. It certainly is a sign of your improving health." - it was also interesting that he could actually recognize this particular behavioural pattern of hers more easily without emotions, so he started a processing thread to analyse the phenomenon.

A chuckle blurted through her lips "Certainly." She wearily buried her face into his shoulder again, and he let her take the time to calm down.

After a few minutes of silent cuddling, she sighed "So... now your emotions are gone? Completely? All of them?" she asked not daring to look up at him.

"The chip is turned off." he answered with a slight shake of his head "Right at the moment, I have certain sensory input patterns that I miss and crave after. However, they cannot be called emotions. But rest assured, I do remember all that I am feeling for you. It is still there. Dormant for the time being. But stored safely in my emotion-chip."

She nodded thoughtfully trying to grasp what he'd told her, but it didn't seem easy. "Sensory input patterns?" she asked talking into his under-shirt "You're exceptionally poetic today, but you'll need to talk down to me, baby, cause right at the moment, my mind is so sluggish, the trees might understand your eloquence sooner than me." she told him cuddling more tightly to him.

Data took a few seconds to comprehend that what she said was intended humour, and he decided to at least make an attempt at equalling her teasing "I am certain, that is not the case. Trees lack the essential basics to comprehend speech, that you do possess: ears." he deadpanned. She chuckled feeling herself blushing like a teenage gal at the prom night, and finally looked up at him searching his gaze. But he didn't seem to finish "Sensory input patterns are sensations I can experience with the help of my sensors and processors. Human interaction tend to formulate patterns, often very characteristic of the indiv-" but he couldn't finish.

She pushed herself up to his body and pressed her lips to his. He blinked taken off-guard, and she released him after a moment "Like this?" she asked on a whisper close to his lips.

"Kissing you is a very particular pattern that has been missed, yes." he told her on an oddly colorless voice.

"What about... making love?" she asked stumbling over the words a little. It was unusual to talk about these things knowing how he felt - or more precisely how he did NOT feel at the moment! Boy, was it confusing!

He seemed to ponder for a moment before answering "I can perform the physical activity. I also miss the sensation of your body tightening around me. However, the emotions that the sensations would trigger would not be present."

Feeling his breath on her wet lips as he was talking with his body pressed so close to hers was tantalizing enough, but the thought of him being inside of her made her inner muscles clench involuntarily, and she couldn't stop herself from asking on a sultry whisper "How can you be sure if you never tried?"

"I have already told you that I have tried it on two occasions. With two ladies. Separately."

She shook her head "Not with me..." she breathed and pushed her lips against his again feeling oddly tempted by the challenge. He did love her! It was all there! How was it possible that he did not feel it when they were so close?!

This time, he expected the movement and feeling her lips on his own, tilted his head in anticipation and closed his eyes. She seemed to be eager about the challenge of trying to move the unmovable, and it was a curious sensation. He kissed her using all the memories of their hottest kisses moving one of his palms up her back - his fingers tangling slightly in her silky hair - and inviting her probing tongue in as she kissed him so deeply.

When she had enough, she released him out of breath, and he looked down at her, into her eyes through his lashes.

"Will you not be disappointed?" he asked silently, and as she gave him a slight frown, he explained "That you cannot make me feel anything."

"You can't blame a gal for trying." she sighed and kissed him again.

Kissing, he always found to be an intriguing activity. Even without emotions. It was one of the most intimate customs of humans, and he always thought that engaging in it brought him a step closer to what it was like to be human. Despite the fact that he felt no emotions triggered by the sensation of her lips on his, he suddenly mused about how different this kiss was compared to the ones he shared with the ladies he'd been intimate with before his chip. He wondered why it was. It couldn't have been because of his feelings for her - as he didn't feel them presently. It could be due to the fact that kissing her lips was definitely an activity he especially missed. Or simply because she was extremely skilled in the activity! She paid attention to the slightest of his reactions and constantly adapted her ministrations accordingly.

She again ran out of breath and let him go looking into his eyes.

He cocked his head always meaning to ask this: "Where did you learn to kiss like that?"

She laughed softly throwing her head back then smiled at him stroking his cheek "I used to sell kisses for the Milk Fund."

"Milk Fund?" he frowned, and she almost heard the cogwheels of his brain clicking, trying to find what she was implying at. He then looked at her enlightened after a moment "Oh! Some Like it Hot. 1959, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, directed by Billy Wilder."

She giggled again "Don't you cite all the cast and crew!" she smiled tenderly at his surprised expression "Oh, I love it that you always know what I'm babbling about!" she told him and gave him a short closed-mouthed kiss on the lips.

He gave her a serene smile but then looked into her eyes seemingly very seriously "Emma. I am not Joe, who can be cured of his mind-block by being passionately kissed. My toes will not feel as if someone was barbecuing them over a slow flame. And I do not want you to project more into these kisses than they actually are. I am experienced with your body. With your needs. With your reactions. I know how to kiss you back when you kiss me in this fashion. However, I do not wish you to be disappointed finding that there are no feelings behind that."

She let out a long breath bowing her head, and he could tell she felt really hurt over what he just told her. He quickly calculated how to handle the situation, and figured she might want to be alone - or rather be away from him - after what he considered was a serious injury to her feelings. Therefore he was about to make up an excuse for her to go in, without her having to feel as if she abandoned him in some fashion. But she reacted completely unexpectedly. She cuddled up to him gently, her temple against his jawline, and she slid her arms around his waist. He reluctantly returned the embrace and held her close.

"This is no fair on you." she whispered "I'm the most egotistical bitch in the universe... I should never let you be abused this way just because my own feelings carry me away."

He frowned "You are not significantly more egotistical than any other humans I have encountered."

She snorted and smiled "Not significantly..." she mumbled "How lucky you are!"

"And you are certainly not a bitch." hearing her snorting again, he gently pushed her a little backwards to look into her eyes "You did not abuse me, Emma. I am unemotional but not without a sense of self-preservation. Both physically and morally. If I considered this an act of abuse on your part, I would have stopped you."

She gazed into his eyes suddenly pleading "Baby... I understand that you think that you can protect me better without your emotions. That you can concentrate better, react sooner or whatever, but... look around! We're in the middle of a forest, hidden by darkness and the leaves. If anyone knew where we were, we would already be sitting in a cell or worse... Please!" she whispered leaning her forehead to his jawline shutting her eyes "Please..."

Data took a few moments to consider what she'd said. She seemed to need to feel his presence emotionally as well as physically, and he felt a certain temptation that he wished to experience the overwhelming emotions he knew he would feel once he turned his chip on. She was there in his arms, but he wanted to FEEL as it always felt to hold her! He wanted more than just the satisfaction of the sensations he missed. They were like hollow reflections of his true emotions leaving him with an indescribable sense of absence. The realization then sank into his mind: turning the chip off really made him mutilated. This was what Emma tried to protect him from, when she'd objected to the procedure so vehemently.

He slowly pulled away locking his gaze with her longing one. He then gently took her hand in his from where it was on his back and slid it up his chest to his shoulder. She looked at him confused but felt her pulse quicken at how intensely he was looking at her. He brought her hand to the back of his neck.

"Brush your fingers one by one over there."

She just went on looking at him puzzled but did as he told her. She sucked in a surprised breath as she felt his skin disappear from underneath her fingertips as the small service slot opened up to her. He guided her fingers to his chip, and she felt her heart skipped a beat realizing just WHAT she felt.

"This is... your heart! Your very heart!" she told him on a breathless whisper. He guided her probing finger to the small switch, and she looked at him barely believing the kind of implicit trust he displayed "You're allowing me to touch it? To turn it on?"

He gave her a tiny smile "It is yours. Naturally, you are allowed access to it."

It took her a long moment to recover from the overwhelming amazement she felt hearing that. She then smiled a small, loving smile "Are you ready, baby?" she asked on a whisper.

He nodded, and in the next moment, several emotions flickered through his features before he shut his eyes seemingly in pain. Emma got scared that something was out of place, but then he pulled her to him tightly, burying his face into the nape of her neck and whispering "You're alive! You're alive!" endlessly, as if his mantra was the only thing keeping him from losing his mind as he cried into her, sobbing almost uncontrollably.

"Yes, baby, I'm here. And not going anywhere." she whispered and finally noticed that her cheeks were just as wet. She kept on stroking his back, and he turned his head into her hair planting an occasional kiss on her ear, or cheek in his agony.

He quieted after a few minutes, and she was about to ask how he was, when all of a sudden, he pulled away and holding her by the upper-arms looked into her eyes with desperation in his own "Why?! Why did you come back into that chamber?! You could see it was collapsing on top of us! You'd have been safe if you went to the surface with him! You knew I would have found you wherever he'd have taken you! Why? Why did you have to risk your life? Why did you have to be so irresponsible? So reckless? How did you think I would survive even a moment after having to watch you die?!" it all poured out of him in an unending flood of words and anguish, and she felt profoundly moved by his scolding. But this was all wrong: she didn't want to wallow in desperation or self-reproaching. She needed to distract him!

"Babe! Babe, stop it! Alright, stop!" she told him, and he looked at her still accusingly. She smiled at him a little wryly "First of all, take a long breath, that's it. Second of all. You realize that what you're telling me off for is something I have no clue about! I simply don't remember what insanity I was doing when we were down there. Third of all, you do remember what I told you about being sentimental, right? We'll die of diabetes in a moment, if you go on being so corny and sentimental! You did survive my death. Moreover, I survived it too! We both should be very happy about that I presume! I'm mortal, Data, and have no idea how to put up with the thought that you wouldn't be able to handle surviving me. But the point is that I'm not ready to talk about that at all! I haven't written my will yet and haven't chosen a nice enough plot - though this valley seems decent enough, keep the coordinates in mind, please!"

"This is not a laughing matter!" he cut in to stop her gallows humour.

"Baby, of course not, but having survived my own death makes me feel happy about it, and I don't want this to make you feel that you need to prepare for some disaster that could take me away from you. Rather be happy about the time we've got. In the here and now."

He shook his head "That is exactly the point." he told her on a low voice "The time is too short!" he ran his hand up her arm gently then cupped her cheek in his palm "I want more time." he confessed finally.

Her heart lurched hearing that, but she still refused to go down that unresolvable road! She forced herself to pull her lips into a smile as she took his hand from her cheek and squeezed it gently "Baby. I'm not the responsible person to talk to about it. But I'll let Chronos know that you're looking for him!"

He frowned slightly then shook his head not being able to stifle the smile that appeared on his lips "You're impossible!" he whispered.

She smiled back barely able to contain her overbrimming emotions "You're not the first to point it out. Lucky that you love me, and put up with me." His features seemed to cloud all of a sudden at this. Emma frowned suddenly unsure "Or now that you can actually feel your feelings, you realize you don't." she narrated what she thought she'd seen on his face.

He looked at her with a slight frown of resentment "You haven't told me."

"Told you. Told you what?" she asked confused.

He glanced away suddenly seeming very self-conscious "If you ...loved me back or not..." he whispered, and she got the impression he'd have blushed, if he had the ability.

Her lips broadened into a wide grin of amazement "Now, wait a minute there, Deadpan! I HAVE told you! Don't you Mister I-Store-Everything-In-My-Memory-Banks remember?! On our first night. And actually it was YOU who didn't tell me how you felt at the time!"

He suddenly seemed flabbergasted then a guilty expression appeared on his face "You're right... I'm sorry, I-I just-" he stuttered.

She cut in crossing her arms "Don't tell ME! Tell Bev! Whom you have given the awfully difficult job to comfort my little, inconsolable heart afterwards!"

He gaped at her feeling very guilty, and his words stumbled after one another as he tried hard to explain "I-I thought you were not serious. That you just said it because you were sleepy or-"

"Or clearly out of my mind? Hmm, well, no doubt there, baby!"

"No! I just didn't want you to take it back, if I replied and..." he trailed off looking at her suddenly with a deadpan expression "You're teasing me again."

She looked back at him with a bemused smirk "And it took a fairly long time for you to realize it! I take only four days off to at least once get a good four night's rest, and you're out of practice! I'm not happy, Deadpan! I'm not-"

Before she could finish, he wordlessly took her into his arms then and kissed her on the lips. It actually caught her completely off-guard - and swept her off her feet.

Oh, god, was he amazing! He held her so firmly and at the same time so lovingly, that all her sarcasm and dry humour left her at once. All that remained was his beautiful lips on hers and their tight embrace.

When he released her lips, she felt light-headed, and he looked into her eyes with THAT smile, she loved so much: confident, the smile of a mature man. The man he grew into beside her, from the confused teenager he used to be.

"No more teasing tonight, Lieutenant!" he ordered on a hushed voice the same way he did on their first night.

Her breath was caught "Yes, Sir."

He kissed her again the exact same way, and her legs felt wobbly underneath her as he again looked into her eyes.

"I need you to answer my confession now. Just as much as you needed to hear it. I need it too."

She smiled sighing and stroking his cheek "Oh, Deadpan... Have you given me even the slightest of chance at not falling for you?" she asked looking into his eyes letting him see her own devotion for him "I think I was doomed the very first time we danced - or even before that... I do love you, baby. Of course I do." she whispered, and he closed the distance to her lips again.

Before long, the kisses grew hotter and longer and feeling his arousal against her, she slid a leg up his thigh as he went on kissing her neck and ear. She gasped and her hands came up into fists on his back. He captured her lips again holding her tightly to his hips and again fighting with himself whether he should give all control over to his sexuality programming.

"Ah... I want you so much!" she moaned feeling his hand cupping her breast underneath his uniform top and thin gown.

He broke away for a moment to look at her "I want you too!" he whispered "But this is hardly the place that fits our needs."

She looked around and nodded toward the trees sliding her arms around his neck "A little challenge spices life, don't you think?" He looked at her questioningly, and she explained mischievously on a hushed voice "Against the tree you've climbed... Standing..." He gaped at her feeling himself helplessly turning on.

Despite the strong sensation, he shook his head "It would not be adequately comfortable for you."

She smiled and leaned to his ear. She playfully nibbled at his lobe and blew into his ear sending a shiver down his spine "Oh, come on. I know you've been wanting to try that out."

He looked at her stunned, gaping "How..."

She smiled conspiringly "I know you, baby."

He stroked her cheek and slid his fingers into her hair "I admit. I have spent a considerable amount of time fantasizing about it, however... I never really managed to find a scenario that would be as pleasurable for you as it would be for me."

She looked at him challengingly "I trust, you'll think of something in the process."

Oh, he just could NOT say no to her! It was impossible to deny her anything! He took her hand and pulled her after him - she followed with a satisfied and at the same time excited smile. When they stopped at the tree, and he slid his arms around her, she felt her heart almost jumped out of her chest. He leaned to her and kissed her first tenderly, then it deepened and his gentle embrace tightened around her waist as he slid his tongue into her mouth seeking out hers.

She responded enthusiastically as she felt his hand slid under her top, up to her breast, fondling it gently then a little more possessively. She moaned silently into the kiss feeling her body respond to his touch, and she slid a hand from his neck, down his side to his pants. She heard him grunt as she brushed her palm against his growing arousal - she wanted to kiss him there! It came as a sudden desire and knowing that he loved it, she set out to act upon it. She let him kiss her as deeply as he wanted, while she took her other hand from his back too and started to undo the fastenings of his trousers. Unsuspecting, he let her open the garment, while he slid his hands to her waistline to return the favour. She heard him grunt in pleasure as her fingers closed around his length. As she moved her hand slowly downward, he released her mouth to gasp.

His only warning was her mischievous smile that flickered over her features before she disappeared from view, and the next thing he knew was the exquisite sensation of her hot, wet mouth around his arousal. He groaned helplessly turning his face upward and opening his eyes wide - but not seeing the dark leaves or the sky, as all his mind, all his body was occupied by what she was doing to him. As the extremely intense sensations she was creating in him slowly reached their peak, he was shocked how out of control over his own body he felt. Vaguely he thought, he'd stop her, because this was definitely not his plan, but this thought as with the rest of his rationality dissipated under the pleasure of feeling her taking all of him inside her mouth circling him with her tongue.

She felt his hand coming up into a fist in her hair, and she could tell, he lost control completely as she moved up and down his length quickening the pace.

"Don't you stop..." he breathed and then groaned not being able to hold it back as he finally came.

Feeling his body relax, she released him with a final kiss, just to be pulled up against him: his mouth covering hers hungrily. He held her face in both of his palms kissing her deeply, almost as if he wanted to feel his own taste on her tongue. She smiled into the kiss: he always seemed so restrained, so in control of his reactions - she loved to feel that she was able to make him lose his mind this much.

His hand slid to her waist and undoing the fastenings of her trousers on an amazing speed, he pulled them down. He then released her mouth and crouching pulled all her garments below her waistline off of her, helping her out of them. Still crouching, he then returned the favour and kissed her hot, wet center making her feel suddenly light-headed at the sensation. She pressed her back against the tree gasping, shutting her eyes at the pleasure of his mouth on her.

"Oh, please..." she begged breathlessly "I need..." she gripped his shoulders sinking her nails into his under-shirt turning her head from side to side "I need to... need to feel you, please!" she moaned knowing herself enough that despite his skill, she would take too long a time to climax like this - and all she wanted was to feel him deep inside of her!

He seemed to obey, because he released her, driving a small cry of loss out of her, and an overwhelming need for more as he stood up and pulled her close. He then lifted her up holding her by her buttocks and letting her support her back by leaning to the tree. She held him by the shoulders looking down at him as he held her so firmly against him. And then he slowly lowered her, guiding her right onto his hot arousal spearing up so hard! She shut her eyes at the incredible sensation of him against her wetness, but then she heard his voice.

"No, look at me!" he commanded on a hushed but firm voice, stopping in mid motion. She cried out softly at this and felt her muscles clench trying to hold him - but their bodies barely touched, and it was the sweetest, most frustrating sensation she ever experienced. She looked at him through half-closed lids, gasping helplessly "Look right at me, Emma!" he told her, and she felt his gaze held hers so intensely, that even if she wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to break away.

He then lowered her onto him with maddening slowness. Once he was completely engulfed by her body, he savoured the feeling of unity as he had always done during their two previous nights for a long moment. The sensation sank into her mind too, because her muscles clenched involuntarily around him. And then he started to move.

He drove her against the tree, holding her up securely, and she put her legs around his thin waist holding him closer. He quickened the pace driving into her relentlessly, and she felt she just couldn't catch her breath. But he could tell it wasn't enough for her to finally reach her summit, and in a background thought process, he realized he was reluctant to pursue this particular fantasy of his exactly because of that. It was intensely pleasurable for him, but a little less so for her, and she needed some more encouragement to finally come - which he couldn't provide her, given that his hands were not free. The realization lessened his pleasure enough to think of just how to change positions.

He suddenly stopped, and she stared at him gasping but taken aback.

"It's not good for you?" she asked on a thin voice.

"Better than good." he replied on a trembling voice "But not good enough for you."

She smiled lovingly stroking his cheek "Ah, baby... Believe me, it's wonderful! And this is your fantasy, I want you to thoroughly enjoy it!"

He leaned close to her kissing her lips for an instant "That's not enough for me!"

"Oh... you're sweet..." she breathed feeling her heart melting under his words, and he kissed her again lovingly before releasing her lips and lowering her on the ground. She moaned in frustration as he left her body and looked at him begging. He smiled at her reassuringly and turned her around. He pulled her hips a little backwards to him, making her bend slightly, and she held onto the trunk of the tree as he entered her from behind, driving a cry of pleasure out of her. And the next moment, she felt his fingers on her center, making her legs buckle under her. He held her firmly up and started to move as he drew gentle circles over her pleasure. She shut her eyes resting her temple at the trunk before leaning her head backwards as he started to kiss her neck and ear. He slid his other hand under her clothes and stroked her breast fondling the nipple gently - and she moaned in pleasure feeling herself unexpectedly close.

"Oh, don't stop!" she begged.

"I won't!" he promised and moaned feeling ready to come again "Emma... Come! I need you to come with me!" he commanded.

"Please, more! More!" she begged him, and he drove into her wildly stroking her wet center in quick tiny circles.

She came violently against his fingers and feeling her tightening up around him, he came after her still helplessly driving into her.

They remained entangled like that for a few more minutes in their blissful afterglow. Data was not sure if he was able to let her go, and she was just as reluctant about it. She stood there locked to him, holding on to the tree trunk, gasping and let the realization sink in once again that ALL of their love making sessions would be like this. He'd always pay attention to her needs, even if she herself found it difficult to express them or just simply have them as they were. She was so used to deriving what little pleasure she could from her partner's pleasure and NOTHING more, that she got completely unused to having needs herself. It was almost impossible to grasp how different it was with Data.

She leaned her head back and to the side on his shoulder, and felt him cuddle up to her cheek, kissing her cheek and ear. "Thank you..." she whispered almost as if it was second nature to say those words.

He frowned and slowly releasing her, he turned her around to be able to look into her eyes "Please, never thank me, baby!"

She smiled a little embarrassed and stroked his cheek lovingly "It's not just that. I don't feel grateful just because you can give me pleasure. I'm grateful... for having you. For everything you're giving me. Everything. Not just pleasure."

He smiled back in wonder "Then it seems I should be thanking you too! For the exact same things." He took her hand gently in his and kissed it gently "Thank you. For being!"

She felt herself engulfed in euphoria she'd never experienced before with anybody else! She didn't even know what triggered it: their lovemaking, his nearness, his tenderness - or the fact that she knew he loved her! But she just threw her arms around his neck laughing an amazingly happy laugh giving him a series of short kisses on the lips before smiling mischievously at him "You know what I told you about being corny, ha? Deadpan. We should stop this silliness."

He held her close chuckling "Diabetes is a sickness already cured in the 24th century - not to mention the fact that no human sickness threaten me."

Oh, damn it, he was right! What did she have to lose? She then kissed him again allowing herself a long moment of bathing in the corny sweetness of this amazing night.

He let her lips go and looked at her caring "Will I need to carry you inside to make you have some rest?"

She giggled throwing her head back "No... I'm actually pretty tired."

With a small kiss, they released each other to adjust their quite weathered clothing, then he took her hand, and they started to walk back to the shed.

"Tell me one thing, Deadpan." she asked smiling up at him.

"One thing." he replied with a straight face, and she laughed out at his impossible humour.

"Oh, you!" she jabbed a finger at him "You're too good a student! Don't joke about it, my question will be a very important one!"

He cocked his head now really curious "Please, go ahead!"

"Alright, here you go: why on Earth were you whistling up in a tree?"

* * *

 **A/N: Feedback always welcome, please review, if you feel like! :)**


	51. Chapter 51

Emma woke to the slight shaking of the ground underneath her, and she squeezed her eyes moaning as she turned to her back. Oh, she hated to wake to the tremors! She then blinked frowning and looked around feeling terribly disoriented: tremors? Where was she?! She gingerly sat up and snapped her head toward the sharp sound of a metal bucket landing on the floor from a shelf. She was still in the wooden shed in the middle of the forest on the planet, she slowly realized, and scowled understanding that she was all alone. Then as what she'd thought to be a gentle tremor grew stronger, she started to feel alarmed.

"What the hell..." she breathed, as the ground shook violently underneath her, and the next moment, it threw her on her side drawing a painful grunt out of her. Her mind was still too foggy to grasp entirely that what she was experiencing was not the usual Epsilonian tremor but a severe earth quake. Even if she did, she was still too weak to try to do anything to escape it, so she just turned to her stomach and decided to remain that way, in lack of a better option. She didn't really have the energy to grow very scared.

She heard the cracking of trees around her, and finally realized that she was in serious danger. But where were the others?! "Deadpan!" she wanted to shout, but somehow it became only a sigh. Objects kept landing on the ground around her from the shelves, and she tried to cover her head with her arms and hands. With a loud crack, the ceiling opened above her, and she could hear the slates smashing outside on the ground. She turned on her back and stared up stunned and dizzy at the sky.

The next moment, she thought she saw movement above her, and the next thing she knew was that she was gathered up into two strong arms. She didn't even have the time to look at her saviour, before he picked her up - though she knew, it was Data. He was lightning fast! He jumped through the crack in the ceiling with her to effortlessly land on what remained of the roof. Then jumped off onto the ground outside, and she barely felt their landing in his secure arms. He took a few more leaps to get away from the ruins of the shed, and a second later, a huge tree fell on top of it, crashing it completely into the ground. Emma turned into Data's chest now really scared. He could feel her trembling, and held her closer. The quake died down in a few seconds, and silence descended on the small valley.

She reluctantly released her grip on his undershirt and looked up at him "What happened?" she asked on a thin voice that surprised even herself.

"This was another severe earth quake." he replied then looked into her eyes "While you were unconscious yesterday, we experienced a similar one."

"Where is Earl?" she asked alarmed.

"Here I am!" they heard from their side, and the old man walked up to them dusting himself off bemused.

Data looked at Emma "I asked Earl to hide under what seemed to be a sturdy enough rocky ledge - although in such a quake, nothing is a hundred percent secure."

"Don't worry, my friend, I'd always turn up like a bad penny." he smiled a little bitterly then looked at Emma "Are you alright?"

She nodded and let out a long breath that she just then realized she'd held in.

Data cocked his head to the side and told her on a lower voice "I am sorry, I did not arrive sooner. We were taking a short walk with Earl when the quake commenced. I hope you are not frightened too much."

She gazed into his eyes for a moment longer before she glanced away with an aching heart. She recognized from his expression and his words that he must have turned his chip off again... She sighed and decided not to let him realize how she felt about it: she just looked back up at him with a small, grateful smile "Better late, than never, Deadpan. Thank you for saving my butt!" He gave her a nod and a tiny smile in exchange for the humour. She returned it but had a difficult time to keep the bitter question out of her mind: would they always be like that when he would not be using his chip? Would they always have to pretend? She that she accepted it, and he that he appreciated whatever she told him?

She didn't want to think about this! She shook her head a little then patted his chest urging "Now, put me down, baby, and give me a shot of my meds, so we can be on our way."

He resisted "I would prefer carrying you while you are resting, Emma." he told her, but in the next moment, saw Earl put the hypospray to Emma's neck and gave her the last shot of L-Cordrazine they had. Data looked at the older man confused.

"Have you not learned that there's no point in arguing with her?" Earl asked raising his eyebrows then looked at Emma "I don't feel like listening to this conversation over and over again." then back at Data "We're almost home, she can rest there as much as she needs."

Emma looked at her old friend bemused and then tapped Data's upper-arm to put her on the ground already. He obeyed only reluctantly.

"Let us go." he commanded finally with as deadpan an expression as ever, though he sensed a measure of resentment resonating in his neural net at her stubbornness, and Earl's indulging her in it!

It took them another three hours to get through the ravaged forest to finally reach the hills behind the once studio lot. They peered out at the façades from among the trees standing on the path winding around a hillside. The lot seemed to be intact, however it was silent - too silent. And suddenly, Emma had a really bad feeling about this.

"I will go down to check around." Data told them on his usual quiet voice still looking at the lot through the trees "Please, stay here. I will return momentarily." then turned to them and looked into Emma's eyes "If I do not return in fifteen minutes, go to Ethel city and hide there."

At that, she looked at him with visible fear in her eyes "No, Deadpan, we're waiting for you here, in this very spot!" she declared.

"Emma. Let us not argue this time." he asked patiently "If there is any danger down there, I want you to be as far away from it as possible. You know that no one can harm me on this planet, you must not worry about me." he told her and was about to turn and go, when he felt her hand on his suddenly. He turned back to her with a slight questioning frown.

She squeezed his hand in hers almost as if she never wanted to let go "I don't want us to lose each other!" she told him on a trembling voice "Even if you are not harmed, what will you do all alone on Epsilon Four?"

He took a short moment to find the appropriate answer to Emma's overwhelming worry for him then cocked his head slightly, and made his lips curve into a tiny smile. "I will not be alone for long. Because I am going to find you. Wherever you go."

She felt her voice was lost as she stared into his beautiful eyes. She didn't think she could let him go.

Earl stepped up to them clearing his throat, as he could see her reluctance as much as Data did "Not to break the enchanting romantic moment between you two youngsters, but there's an old man right here with you, who cannot live on romance alone and is desperate for a hot shower, a good tea and some rest." Data let her hand go, and Emma looked at Earl with a bemused - and a little embarrassed - frown as he went on looking only at Data "Go, my friend and check around. I agree we should be as cautious as possible. If you by any chance wouldn't find us here, when you return, look for Lou at Providence bar in Chicago-town. He'll lead you to us."

Data nodded to him in acknowledgement then turned back to Emma to give her a small reassuring smile. Emma fought the urge to reach out to him again or to kiss him. No. They were not saying goodbye. He would be back in a few minutes, she told herself - but then why was there that terrible trembling around her heart?

As he disappeared among the trees at an amazing speed, she felt Earl's comforting arm around her shoulders, and she looked at him trying hard to seem a lot less scared than she actually felt.

* * *

Data had a certain sensation of contentment in his ability to distance himself from Emma's worried gaze as he was advancing through the forest down the slope. He wanted to concentrate on whatever lay ahead, and with his chip off, he could do just that. On a background thought process, he mused that getting used to being emotional at one time and unemotional at another was not as difficult to handle as it first had seemed. Especially, that Emma seemed to accept it too! His greatest worry was alleviated.

He reached the tall brick-fence of the lot and effortlessly jumped on top of it then landed on the ground inside. He looked around: there was no movement. Among the small façades of the Western settings, he could see the taller ones belonging to the city-scape at the far end of the lot. It was peculiar. When they started for the mines in the morning, five days ago, people were coming and going among the façades, almost as if it was a real town. But now, there was nothing, and he could tell, it was not natural.

He walked through the Western village, trying to look for anything out of place apart from the lack of people, but again, all seemed to be in order. He went on to the city settings cocking his head from side to side, and suddenly he heard a clicking sound from above him. He turned his head around and upwards sharply toward it - the sound seemed to have been coming from one of the upper windows of a façade. He saw a slight movement, then the ear-splitting sound of a rifle firing cut into the silence, and he had only a moment to react to the large bullet flying toward his chest. He ducked just in time to avoid it, and the projectile drilled itself deep into the wall of the holo-disguised building. Shortly after the first one, he heard another click, and he knew he had only a fraction of a second before the next bullet was heading right toward him. He ran to find some sort of a protection suitable against the bullets large enough to take out an elephant. He knew very well, that even these gigantic projectiles wouldn't have been enough to harm him beneath the bioplast, but he had no intention of walking about in torn clothes and torn sheeting with his metal endo-skeleton visible underneath his damaged 'skin'.

He took cover in the doorway of the holo-disguised building, while the number of the echoing gunshots multiplied. There were at least ten people firing right at him. From the sound of the guns, he could tell, these were not the guards of the Resistance. These were snipers! It seemed that Jones finally found the Resistance' hide-out and was waiting for them to return to the only place they could hope to hide. And he also knew that the enormous guns were there to take HIM down, but Jones probably had no idea that twenty-first century weapon-technology stood no chance against twenty-fourth century robotics-technology which enabled his endo-skeleton to be as sturdy as it was.

In the cover, he tried to assess what to do next. He could simply run out of the lot, but it was not an easy option, if he wanted to receive the least number of shots while avoiding the possibility that he might lead their enemies to where Emma and Earl were. He could also hide inside the façade, but then he'd definitely need to get out of there after a while, if he didn't want to be trapped inside forever. But before he could get to the end of that thread of thought, suddenly, the door opened behind him, and he was pulled inside the building just to find himself face to face with his two friends.

"Geordi! Commander Riker!" he gaped at them stunned. But the next moment, he had to grab both of them and made them duck from a lightning fast bullet whistling too close to his two vulnerable human colleagues. They crouched next to the wall, in a corner, while the shots didn't seem to stop raining at them through the broken windows. "What are you doing here?" Data asked sincerely stunned to see them.

"We thought you might need a hand!" Geordi smiled wryly and handed him a phaser. He took it with some suspicion.

"Where's Emma? We need to beam out of here!" Riker asked him on a tense voice - they were running out of time.

"We are not going back, Commander!" Data declared shaking his head "I will not allow Emma to be taken away by her husband!"

"You don't have to! We got rid of him yesterday, just after you left." Riker explained hurriedly and as a surprised expression spread on Data's features he added with a wince "Right before you were blown into pieces in front of our very eyes."

"At least the eyes of those who had the fortune to be notified..." Geordi remarked under his breath to his superior's bemusement.

"I thought we are over this." Will growled squinting at the engineer.

"But how?" Data cut in feeling a mild sensation of shock at the unexpected turn of events.

"There's no time for this now!" the Commander frowned impatiently "In case you haven't noticed, we're still being shot at!" and indeed the hail of bullets hadn't ceased outside. It already had smashed all the windows of the building.

Data could tell he had no choice but to believe them "Alright..." he conceded "Emma and Mr. Mils are still in the forest, near here, at the top of the slope. 1.629 kilometers to the north from this point."

"You heard, Captain?" Riker asked addressing his combadge.

"Loud and clear, Number One. Now, prepare to be beamed up." Picard ordered.

"No!" Data stood his ground "As long as I cannot make sure that Emma is safe, I am not leaving this planet!" he declared.

"Damn, you're stubborn!" Geordi hissed.

"Captain!" Riker called again.

"I heard that as well, Number One. We also ran into a slight problem here: Emma and her companion don't show up on the scanners. We need to beam down to them, so the transporter could lock on to a combadge signal. You'll-"

"We will meet you there, Captain!" Data cut in and didn't really wait for the confirmation from his superior, he simply turned and ran out. Geordi and Will could only stare after him for a moment, then at each other with a rather dazzled expression at their friend's behaviour, before they bolted through the door after him, phasers set to stun.

* * *

"Where is he?" Emma mumbled pacing up and down on the path. She felt the trembling around her heart steadily growing - something was out of place! Where are you, Deadpan?!

"We should make a move. He's been gone for twenty minutes now. Something must have happened." Earl told her feeling the tension building in him as he had to watch his surrogate daughter pace so nervously.

"No, I'm not going anywhere without him." she declared standing opposite him.

Earl let out a long breath to impose some patience on his tired mind "Look. He told you, he'd find you. We told him where to look for us, and you know that nobody can harm him. But if we stay here for much longer, and there's really some trouble down there, we're a lot less likely to survive it than he is." he tried to convince her, but she kept shaking her head.

"No, I-"

But they suddenly heard a female voice from down the path "Emma!" She turned frowning, then took a few steps ahead trying to make out who was calling.

"Bev?!" she gaped recognizing her friend after a moment, running up to her closely followed by Captain Picard.

Emma felt fear spreading all over her. Did Ed manage to make even her closest friend cooperate with him and help him get her back?! She shook her head "No, we're not going back!" she declared - and didn't start to run in the opposite direction only because she felt her knees too weak for it! Finally, Beverly stopped opposite her gasping.

"You have to! You're not safe here, the Resistance was raided." she panted trying to catch her breath.

"What?" Earl stepped up to them shocked.

Beverly took a deep breath "We wanted to find you to take you home yesterday, but found no one at the Resistance. We're sure everybody got imprisoned or..." she shook her head glancing away for a moment.

Emma grew pale hearing this "Oh, god..." she breathed and looked at her friend pleading "Data just went down there, we have to find him, he-"

"He's fine." Picard cut in finally catching up with them. They turned to him as he went on "At least he was a few minutes ago. He refused to beam up until he made sure you were safe. So I'd suggest we continue this discussion elsewhere, before Premier Jones realizes how close you are!"

Emma shook her head now really confused "But aren't you-"

"Too late!" they heard a satisfied male voice from behind them.

They turned to see Jones walking towards them leisurely as if he was taking a stroll in the sunny forest - except for the fact that he was leading a group of soldiers armed to teeth, all pointing their guns to the Starfleet officers. Picard pressed his combadge, but the next moment, his shoulder was hit by a blast of green. He moaned in pain pressing his palm into his bleeding shoulder instinctively.

"Jean-Luc!" Beverly called scared and jumped to him. Picard leaned forward feeling really light-headed from the pain, and she held him close, holding on to his hand over the wound to slow the bleeding down.

Jones and his gang walked up to them, and the man pointed his Romulan disruptor at Picard's head who was still gasping in pain "No chit-chatting your way out of my century to yours, Captain." he said with a smirk "Drop your weapons!" he ordered on a harsh voice, and when Picard didn't move, he pressed the gun tightly to his head "Do it!" he hissed. The Captain gingerly fetched his phaser from his pocket and dropped it. As Beverly followed his exampled, Jones turned to Earl "You too, Mils!"

Earl pulled out the phaser he had received from Data in the brig and staring right into Jones' dark eyes, let it fall to the ground.

"Very good!" Jones remarked taking the gun away from the Captain's head. He stepped up to Emma and put a gentle hand under her chin "Welcome home, ma chérie!" he told her with a tenderness that made Beverly feel a chill crawl up her spine. Emma pushed his hand away with a defiant expression on her features, and he grabbed her arm forcefully "Stop struggling against your fate!" he hissed, but in the next moment, he felt himself grabbed from behind, and a hard object was pushed to his temple.

"Leave her alone!" he heard and felt the hot breath of his opponent on his neck. He struggled to remain on his feet as he was dragged a few steps backwards by an irresistible force. Nobody had a chance to see anything beforehand! Data ambushed them soundlessly as if he was a wraith of the old folk-tales, that left even the trained soldiers simply gape at what was happening. "Nobody shoot!" one of them exclaimed, and Data could tell there was tension and perplexity in his voice. They were still pointing their weapons at the small team of Starfleet officers, but were looking around and at each other confused as to how to solve the unexpected situation.

"You use a gun now, android, to intimidate me?" Jones asked snarling on a trembling voice.

"It seems that once again you leave me with no other choice." Data told him on a colorless tone "Tell them to drop their weapons!" he commanded. Jones struggled against him for a moment, but the android held him in an unmovable grip.

"Drop it!" he moaned finally through his teeth, and his soldiers obeyed. "You'll regret this, machine!" Jones hissed in impotent anger.

Data shook his head "I do not see how you would be able to make me regret anything, while I am holding a phaser to your skull. And believe me, until you are behind the forcefield of a Federation prison cell, this state will not change. As you might know, my arm cannot get tired." he locked his gaze with Picard. "Are you alright, Captain?"

"Just a scratch, Mr. Data." the Captain lied still holding on to his bleeding shoulder "I'm glad you arrived, my friend. Let us beam up!" he commanded "Mr. Jones has a handful of crimes to answer for in front of a Federation court."

Emma and Earl exchanged confused glances at this. "What?" Emma breathed, and Beverly looked at her smiling.

"We uncovered his true nature. He has a strong empathic ability, and he abused it every time he wanted to reach his goals with others, breaching at least a dozen of Federation laws and regulations." she explained. Emma and Earl both stood there petrified, thinking they must have just misheard something.

"It's impossible..." Emma whispered shaking her head in denial. She'd lived almost a decade with this man! How could she have not known?!

Jones suddenly laughed out at this, a hollow gasping laugh "Of course, ma chérie! Even if the whole universe pointed at the obvious, you'd still stick to what you believe." he then grunted as he felt Data's grip around him tighten just enough to make him think, he would not be able to draw another breath.

"Enough of this!" Picard called on a hard voice standing between them. "Data, where's Commander Riker and La Forge?"

"Here we are, Captain!" they heard Will's gasping as they ran upward on the slope - or more precisely floundering on the steep hillside, holding on to anything their hands had a grasp on.

"Sorry to be late, but it was not possible to catch up with Data!" Geordi explained panting and finally pulled himself up to where they were standing on the path.

"I'm not surprised." Picard remarked with an intended smile which was turned into a grimace by the pain.

Beverly pressed her badge "Enterprise, we're ready to-"

"You're not going anywhere!" they heard yet another voice, this time a female, as green particles integrated into a dozen Romulans surrounding them.

"What the hell?!" Geordi groaned.

"Sela!" Picard gaped at the now-materialized Romulan commander.

"Good to see you, Captain!" she smirked at him "Now, drop your weapons!" she commanded.

"I feel I'm in an old Mexican stand-off..." Riker remarked as he and Geordi obeyed her. She stepped up to Data still holding on to Jones "You too, android!"

Emma shook her head with dread in her eyes, and seeing it, Data took another moment to consider the odds, but simply couldn't come up with a scenario where all of them could leave unharmed from among the tight group of Romulans. And Jones' soldiers had already recovered their guns too. They stood no chance against them. He let Jones go and dropped the phaser from his hand.

Jones swirled around and laughed triumphant "I knew you wouldn't have the guts to pull the trigger, machine!" he stared into his eyes "You were built to serve. You cannot kill your masters!" he hissed with glinting eyes, then motioned for the Romulans to seize Data.

Earl took a step up to him - all guns were immediately pointing to him, but he ignored it as he asked Jones "Why don't you keep this between us?" he motioned around "The Starfleet officers here have nothing to do with our petty local feuds! Let them all go!"

Jones looked into his eyes for a moment then smiled at him patronizingly "Well, old man, it seems we're thinking more alike than you may like to believe. I was just about to suggest the same!" he turned to the Captain "Don't take offense, my dear Captain Picard, but you and your people have outstayed their welcome! Use the opportunity, that I'm in an exceptionally good mood, and get the hell off of my planet!" he turned his head to Emma, smiling into her frightened eyes "Except of course, my wife, the traitor Mr. Mils..." he then look into Data's eyes again "and the machine." he finished on a satisfied hiss.

"No..." Emma breathed terrified. Jones looked into her desperate eyes, and she just couldn't turn away from his dark gaze. She felt it penetrated right into her soul and she felt herself falling into a bottomless pit of despair - and this time, she dragged Data with her! she realized with a new-found dread she'd never experienced before.

"I'm not leaving without my full crew!" Picard stood his ground.

Jones swirled around energetically and smirked again enjoying his victory "Let us get this straight, my dear Captain Picard! You either leave now or become the tool in my propaganda. I thought one execution for today would be quite enough," he chuckled looking into Earl's still defiant eyes for a moment then went on "but we could preserve you for a later time." he turned up his palms shrugging "When the people become uneasy again and need a scapegoat to project their fears at." his expression then darkened "Which one will it be, Picard?" he asked on a hard voice.

The Captain was about to object, but suddenly, they heard Emma's silent voice as she looked right into the face of her inevitable fate "Accept it, Captain!" everybody stared at her shocked as she went on on a silent, yielding voice "There's enough on my conscience, I don't want even more people to be harmed because I was not strong enough to keep you away from Epsilon Four. So please... Please, go!" she whispered.

A long moment of silence descended on them as nothing could be heard, only the voices of the forest around them. The Captain's blood dripped soundlessly into the dirt through his fingers, and in a few moments, he realized he had no choice but to withdraw for now.

"We'll leave." he stated on a low voice. He rarely ever felt as ashamed as in that moment.

Jones walked up to him and nodded appreciatively "Wise decision, Captain."

Picard glared at him defiant "Enjoy your small victory, Jones, for as long as it lasts. Because Starfleet will not leave its people behind! Never forget that!"

Jones smiled "Of course not... Not like the last time, I presume?" he chuckled implying how Emma and her late colleagues got stuck on the planet a decade ago. He turned and looked at his wife "Say goodbye, chérie! We're leaving!" he commanded as if they were finishing a delightful visit at some friends.

Emma gazed up at Beverly, desperation clearly written all over her features, and the elder woman pulled her into a tight embrace "It'll be fine! Just don't be scared! We're not going anywhere without you! I promise!" she swore to her beloved friend.

Emma pulled away and looked into her eyes begging "Oh, Bev... Just get Data out alive. Just save HIM! The rest doesn't matter..." she implored on a whisper.

"Ah, just stop talking nonsense, dear, and don't you dare to give up!" Bev told her taking her hand firmly in hers.

And Emma felt a small, hard object pressed into the flesh of her palm. She looked up at Beverly with a hint of surprise on her features, which she smothered in a moment. Bev pulled her close once again, allowing her a short moment to slip the object into her pocket quickly without anyone noticing. She pressed her lips to Emma's cheek firmly, and pulling away a little, took her face into her palms for a moment. She gazed deep into her eyes trying hard to make her believe that it was not over just yet!

"That is enough, girls!" Jones walked up to them "My heart's gonna melt - or my groins gonna burst." he told them chuckling.

Beverly let Emma go with a glare at Jones who then stood behind his wife as they watched the Starfleet officers gather in a group. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, pressing his lips into her hair, close to her ear as all her friends slowly disappeared.

Data watched his lover unmoving in the arms of her tormentor, resigned to her fate and again, a peculiar sense of contentment filled his neural net over that fact that he could feel no emotions at present. He was sure, he'd have to process a great deal of pain, if he had to see his defiant, fiery lover submitting herself finally, because she had no more strength left to fight - or even to cry.


	52. Chapter 52

**Might fit into M for a nasty mind-game.**

* * *

Emma sat in the back of the car listless. As if she viewed reality through water, everything moved so slowly. She'd watched her colleagues - her friends - disappear into thin air. She'd watched the Romulans taking Data away - she saw him turn his head back to look at her one last time. Even without emotions, he still seemed to be attached to her, maybe even worried about her... And then she'd watched as the human soldiers took Earl away: proud and tall and defiant as ever, fearless as ever... Finally, she was sat into Edmond's car, and they got going. And now he was sitting there next to her as she was looking out of the window, watching as the buildings of the city rushed by - and she knew he was watching her even though she didn't give a single glance at him. She felt his gaze, felt his presence, as if it never really left her.

At the residence, he led her to their old room. She followed without any objection. What was there to object? He entered, and she went after him. He started to look for a new suit in the closet, and she watched him standing a few steps away.

So he never moved out from here. And seemingly neither did she. Her eyes wandered to her dressing table - everything was there, everything the way it was when she'd left it over two years ago. Her brush, her make up, some small notes stuck into the frame of the mirror. Her gaze travelled to his wide desk just a few steps from where she was standing. It was full of clutter as always. And her eyes became fixed on the long, thin letter-opening knife...

"Maybe you'd like to change too, chérie!" she heard, and her head snapped back to see that he was still going through his closet as he went on "Those rags are really not fit for the beloved wife of the Premier. Just returning to publicity from her years of absence."

She took a slow step toward the desk "So... this is your plan with me? Make me play your dutiful wife?" she asked on a voice lower than she intended.

Edmond laughed softly "I won't need to MAKE you do anything." he remarked putting on a suit he seemed to like. He stepped to the tall mirror at the wall and adjusted the garment "You'll be happy to be my dutiful wife." he told her looking at his image seemingly satisfied.

Emma stood at the desk, and watching her husband's every move, she reached out cautiously and picked up the knife "I'd first be dead before obeying you, Edmond." she told him hiding it behind her back, her heartbeat quickened as her fist squeezed the hilt of the blade "And you know that."

Edmond chuckled "There are worse things than death, ma chérie." he remarked turning to her "How do you like it?" he asked spreading his arms showing himself.

She snorted "You need my approval?"

He walked up to her and gazed into her eyes "I will need to get used to needing it again. My wife is home with me once again!" he whispered almost caringly.

She sensed that there will be no better moment than this one! Gathering all her strength, she raised the knife and tried to stab it into his back. But he was faster. He caught her wrist and stopped her stab in mid motion. She moaned struggling against him to deliver the blow she knew she had to, she NEEDED to! But he was just so much stronger...

"Stop it, chérie!" he hissed as she hit him with her other fist.

He grabbed now both of her wrists and pushed her up against the wall, banging her fragile body into it. She moaned in pain and gripping her wrist he hit her fist still desperately grasping the knife, into the wall several times, until she finally let go of the blade.

He pressed her into the wall, holding her by the wrists pinning them next to her head forcefully. She struggled to get free, but her wrists hurt, and she felt drained from her failed attack. She suddenly felt dizzy and rested the back of her head against the wall gasping for breath.

"Did you have enough?" he asked leaning close to her face. She gazed into his dark eyes and saw him glancing at her parted lips. He moved even closer pressing his body onto hers making her lock her gaze with his. He made her feel his breath and tasted hers as he whispered "You still want me."

She turned her head away and answered on a cold, tired voice "If you think that, Edmond, you're sicker than I've ever thought."

He watched her for a moment longer and frowned with disgust "You really don't. Not since you have had the machine in your life..." She turned back, and he gazed into her eyes with disgust "You think of him even now."

"So it's true..." she whispered feeling desperation welling up in her "You CAN read my mind!"

After a moment of staring into her eyes, he started to laugh, then slowly let her wrists go and stepped away from her. He seemed to walk about in the room aimlessly, and she rubbed her hurting wrists staggering a few steps from the wall. She watched her husband with growing dread as reality slowly began to dawn on her "What ARE you?" she asked finally on a trembling whisper.

He stopped and looked back at her from the middle of the huge room "Half-Ullian, half-human." he replied matter-of-factly.

She stared at him for a long moment before she could utter a word. She frowned still barely believing it "So everything you told me about you being raised by your grandfather..." she started, but he cut her off.

"It was all true." he walked back up to her slowly as he explained "I WAS raised by my human granddad, given that my human mother died, and my Ullian father wanted nothing to do with his freak son. My dear grandfather raised me as if I was a human, as if I should have been ashamed of my other half. Even if that allowed me to be more than any of you. Much more." he hissed.

She gazed away confused "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked bitterly "Once... we were close. Really close. I loved you so much, you think I wouldn't have accepted you? Why did you have to hide who you were?" she asked looking into his eyes pleading.

"Hmm, at the price of losing my most important tool in controlling you? No, chérie." he chuckled seeing her shocked expression "Yes, I knew you loved me. Desperately, without reservation. You trusted me so completely - the way you trust the machine, now."

She bowed her head feeling her throat close "Why... Why wasn't it enough to simply love me back, if you knew my feelings were deep and sincere?" she asked on a whisper.

"Because controlling you was more secure." he replied, and she looked at him stunned as he went on "Feelings change. Look at yourself! You hate me now from the bottom of your heart! Don't fool yourself, your deep love for the machine will not last forever either." he shrugged "It was also easier." then smiled with glinting eyes "And it was a hell of a lot more fun than anything I've ever did to anybody!" he hissed, making her realize that she had been expecting love for years from a man who was not capable of the emotion at all! It was a frightening revelation!

She shook her head in disbelief "Edmond... We were family once, and now you're telling me you never ever had any kind of feelings for me, only the need to control? We wanted to have children for god's sake! How could you have-" she stopped short seeing his expression.

He smiled at her almost caringly so "Oh, chérie..." he slowly walked up to her locking his gaze with her. He then raised his hand and gently stroked a stray strand of hair out of her face "The only thing that could ever touch me was your utter naiveté." he whispered.

She gaped feeling her eyes fill with tears "You knew we could never have children, didn't you." she breathed "You knew it all along..."

"My genetics." he shrugged apologetically "I would never be able to sire children fit to be born... But it was a powerful means of control. Just the way our sex life was. I knew that by making you go through the cycle of hoping to conceive, then hoping to be able to bear the child, and finally the pain... I knew you'd not have the strength to leave me while you were struggling with yourself. I'd have been a fool not to use it." She could only stare at him pale and almost completely unable to believe the nightmare that had no end... He turned and paced lazily around "You'd have left me years sooner, if I didn't use all the means of control I had. Mils would have talked you into appreciating yourself over our marriage a lot sooner, just the way he always tried to." he turned back to her standing at the window across the room "The unexpected element was you finding another means of escape." he shrugged "Hague was adamant about getting rid of you, I couldn't do anything about it at the time. He couldn't afford his right hand having a drug addict wife! I was thinking, I'd keep you in the nuthouse until I seize the power from the old son-of-a-bitch. I wanted to get you back afterwards. But... of course, for Mils, nothing was a high enough price to lay his hands on you." he snorted in disgust.

She watched him again only as if she watched reality through a dark distorted mirror. It all seemed so bizarre, so unreal that she couldn't even start to sob or be upset over what she just had to learn. She frowned slightly as she heard her own voice ask "What do you plan with him?"

Edmond raised his eyebrows "Don't you know?" he stepped up to her again searching her eyes "Don't you beg for his life?"

She locked her gaze with his, feeling her eyes fill with tears again. Wouldn't she want to beg for the man who had been the father she'd never had? Who was her sole friend and family during the years her life was purposefully and systematically destroyed bit by bit by her very husband?

He smiled feeling her deep distress - and also her defiance in that silence. "What about your machine?" he asked "Will you beg for HIM?"

She frowned feeling her cheeks burn as fear gripped her chest. She knew what the inevitable would bring to her and to Earl throughout, and she was prepared as much as anyone could have in her place. But Data! No, she had no idea how to face the uncertainty of his fate on her conscience!

"What do you want with him?" she asked on a bitter voice "You cannot take revenge on him or use him! You cannot hurt him, you cannot make him do anything you want. You can't blackmail him into anything. He can't be bribed, he can't be tortured!"

"Oh, you think, he cannot be blackmailed. Hmm, that's disappointing! Do you think he values your life so little that if he were to choose between obeying me and giving up your life, he'd choose disobedience?" he shook his head seeing the hopeless expression on her face "You're unsure?" he asked smiling almost feeling sorry for her uncertainty "True enough, he is a loyal Starfleet officer after all."

She looked at him wearily "What would you gain on making him serve you? The people hate technology! What would you gain on a man who's nothing but technology?"

He laughed out loud "My silly little wife! I don't need him for servitude, of course!" his eyes flashed with enthusiasm "I need him for the propaganda! He's the perfect means to prove that the people of Epsilon Four are under constant threat from the Federation and the alien powers behind it! He's even bigger a gain than the technology to mine dilithium! A fascinating asset that will solidify my power like nothing else!" his eyes were sparkling, and she listened to him in disbelief as he started to pace aimlessly again gesturing as he drafted what he saw in his mind "Imagine a court case! Where the main accused is a man who looks completely like us! Imagine him being disassembled to his pieces in front of the press and the people. Imagine their utter disbelief and shock! All the voices of those who said so far that we are TOO paranoid, and we need to ease up on our laws a bit would immediately be silent! Just imagine that shock! AND on top of all that, your precious Data will play along with everything! I will MAKE him! He will confess that the purpose of his creation was to fool our people and hurt them where they least expect it!"

"No!" Emma shook her head desperately "You can't..."

"Of course I can!" he smiled almost apologetically "I have all the aces in the stack."

She shook her head stubbornly trying to find a means of salvation "No! The Enterprise is still here! They will save him!"

"They don't even know where to look for him! Their scanners are worthless on my planet!" he smiled seeing the dread in her eyes as she finally realized, they had no escape. He gently put his two hands on her upper arms, almost in a supportive gesture "Accept it, chérie. You lost. You never really had a chance at winning, and you knew that all along. Now you just need to accept it. Everything will be a lot easier after that." he whispered almost lovingly.

She looked at him with pleading eyes "Don't do this, Edmond! He's done nothing against you. I'm the one you want to cause pain to. And Earl. Not him. You have me, and you have the leader of the Resistance. It WILL be enough for the propaganda, just... just let Data go... Please!" she added on a whisper.

"Let him go, hmm... well, beaming Mils into oblivion might be enough for the propaganda for a while, true enough. But still, if I let your little boytoy go, I'd lose the trump card from my hands that could redefine the words propaganda, fear and power just by his very existence. And I should give it up, all because you ask it of me?" he asked incredulously.

Emma looked into his eyes distressed "There's nothing I can give you in exchange." she confessed "Except... y-you might have been right." she stammered bowing her head "I might be your dutiful wife once again on my own free will. If you wished."

His eyebrows ran up his forehead, and he smiled in surprise. After watching her fighting her disgust and fear AND pride for a moment longer, he slowly stepped behind her and put his hands on her shoulders leaning close to her ear "He's important for you, isn't he? Hmm?" he asked on a soft whisper and felt her heart lurch thinking about her love. He needed to see how serious she was, he pressed her on "Maybe if you'd be a little more friendly, I'd consider what you propose..." he wiped her hair away with an almost impossible tenderness, then leaned to her neck and kissed a trail on her skin from her shoulder to her ear.

Emma shut her eyes exasperated. She thought she was prepared for this! But her breathing quickened as her body froze in complete terror and insuppressible disgust from his touch. No... No, she couldn't stand this! She ripped herself out of his deadly embrace and swirling around looked into his smug gaze "We may make a bargain!" she told him breathlessly "But I want my securities. As soon as I can make sure that he's back on the Enterprise, you'll have what you want! But not a moment sooner, Ed Jones!" she added on a low voice.

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment longer then stepped close to her again "You would really, now wouldn't you? ...Alright, chérie. Let's make a bargain. But... I want my securities as well. Call it a love-token, if you will."

"What do you want?!" she asked in despair "You can read my mind, you know I meant what I said! What more security do you need?!"

He crossed his arms "All I can sense from you is your fighting yourself over this. You want me to believe you, when you cannot even stand my presence near you? No..." he then smiled seeing her torn by thinking that she'd have to beg for him to accept her offer that turned her own stomach! He reached up to her face, and she struggled to stand the touch "What I want in exchange for now compared to what you're asking me is nothing..." he whispered as she stood there unmoving "I want a kiss. The kiss of a wife who's still in love, still attracted and still eager to fulfil all her husband's wishes!" he raised an eyebrow challengingly "That's not such a huge sacrifice, is it? Since this is exactly what you're promising to give in exchange for his life."

Emma grew pale but didn't say a word. What other choice did she have? Everything was better than to lose Data in such a cruel way! She took a shaky breath as her eyes filled with tears of frustration, and she reached up to his face - you were once attracted to this man, you can do this! Don't think, don't feel, just do it! Sliding her arms around his neck, she pushed her lips up to his.

He smiled into the kiss and pulled her tightly against him - she was surely eager, he noted satisfied. She thoroughly explored his mouth as if her own life depended on that one single kiss, and it was a refreshing sensation to feel her making herself do this, while she had no attraction or affection for him at all. On the contrary... It was a tantalizing sensation to explore thoroughly...

She made her mind go completely blank. Her body responded to his embrace, to their kiss, but she, herself withdrew into a tiny spot in her mind that was untouched. He couldn't reach her here. She would let him do whatever he wished with her body, but she would not be there, she would not feel it. Maybe this was how Data perceived kissing her without his emotions. Because she just felt nothing. Nothing at all.

He broke away and looked at her appreciatively. She gazed back at him with hollow eyes, and his lips broke into a wide smile of recognition. This was it! This was exactly it! He took a step back from her and started to laugh from his heart.

She looked at him with a shocked frown "Why are you laughing?" she asked on a shaky voice, clearly feeling humiliated.

He sighed deeply, getting a grip on his sudden fit of laughter "Because finally I got what I wanted to see on your face for a decade! You finally gave in to me!" he smiled amazed at the thought as he watched Emma bowing her head, trying to hide her tears. But no matter how hard she struggled, they stubbornly came, and she wiped them with the back of her hand sniffling. He stepped opposite her and studied her expression for a moment longer before speaking on a low, patient voice, as if he was talking to a child "You seriously thought, that I'd give up such an asset as Data is, to have YOU back?" Emma raised her head and looked at him through her tears shocked as he went on "You really thought that, didn't you. Oh, your naiveté, chérie..."

"Is no torture enough, Edmond?" she moaned now openly sobbing in complete desperation "Isn't it enough that you take everything and everybody from me? All hope that I ever had. What could I do to make you stop?!"

"Make me stop?" he asked then shook his head almost confused "You don't want me to stop, Emma! On the contrary." he cupped her cheek in both of his hands. She trembled fighting her tears and glared at him feeling a kind of hatred she'd never experienced before. He leaned closer to her, and she could feel his breath on her wet cheeks "You ask me to do this to you, because this is where you can find your place! The only place you ever felt secure. With me, you can rebel all you want, knowing that I'd always be here. Strong and in control over you. Just like your father used to be..."

She shook her head in denial, while she realized in horror that to a certain extent, he was right! She knew it all along that he'd come for her, he'd never give up on getting her back, and the fear from the inevitable was almost secure. When they were caught, it was almost like coming home to a terror she knew all too well... The only moments she could get rid of that fear was when she was with Data - and now her desperate clinging to him would kill him or worse... She bowed her head giving up on trying to stop crying. She deserved no better than this...

Edmond wiped her tears gently leaning close to her, tilting her head upward. His mouth lingered over hers for a short moment, and he saw her shutting her eyes expecting what's to come - and felt that she didn't struggle against it anymore.

But before he could kiss her again, there was a knock on the door. Edmond straightened, letting her go with a furious expression.

"I said I don't want to be disturbed!"

His young assistant looked through the crack of the door "I'm sorry, Premier, but the execution has been prepared." she announced.

"We're coming in a minute." he growled angrily, and the woman disappeared.

Emma's mind then produced the most impossible thought, in this most impossible moment: how long had he been screwing this girl? - Here she stood, all humiliated, giving up on all her hopes, minutes away from the execution of her closest friend, and probably hours from having to witness her love blackmailed into taking part in Edmond's appalling plans... And she was thinking about her being cheated on by her husband. Then she finally understood: this was no different than her previous sensation of secure fear - it was second nature to her, like getting back into an old habit. An old habit of fear, or of jealously, there was little difference: she had no real control over it or the cause of either emotions. She could only anticipate them, but she was no more guilty for that than for once being in love with a man who mislead her at each step, in everything she'd ever done.

He turned back to her with a surprised frown feeling the change in her emotions. She stood there staring into his eyes for a long moment, then turned and walked up to her cupboard.

His frown deepened "What are you doing?" he asked alarmed by the fact that she didn't voice her strong emotions he could feel oozing out of her!

She stopped and turned to him with blazing, defiant eyes "I change into clean clothes and put on some make-up, Edmond." as he watched her taken aback, she went on walking up to him slowly "I do it so that my closest, dearest friend can see in his last moments that I did not break! That I stand there and live one of the most painful moments of my life with a straight back and pure heart! Never giving in to you! Ever!"

Edmond glared into her eyes for a moment longer, than started to laugh. He walked to the door and putting his hand on the handle turned back to her "You do that well, ma chérie. Because the moment is almost here!" he hissed, then walked out still laughing, feeling her pain as if it was palpable.

The door closed, and she remained alone. She put her palms flat on her dressing table bowing her head - but no tears came this time. She then opened the fastenings of the Starfleet uniform top she was wearing, then put her hands into the pockets absently, out of habit to check if there's anything in them. She was almost hit by the realization! Of course there was! She pulled out the combadge Beverly had previously put into her hand, when they said goodbye.

She held on to the small object in both of her hands tightly "Beverly..." she whispered and felt a measure of hope creeping into her heart.

She didn't care about herself anymore, she accepted to be purged to her atoms here in her personal little hell. She also knew that Earl thought in a similar way: they'd talked about facing death before, and since his son died... No, neither of them had anything to look forward to on this planet anymore.

But she was not about to give up on saving Data yet, and the combadge was her only hope in that. They couldn't use it for communication, everything was bugged, and she knew Bev knew that too. But it enabled the Enterprise crew to find her, and through her, they could find Data too!

* * *

 **A/N: It might be wrong to tell you about my interpretation of what you've just read, but here you go: the scene is the metaphor of the kind of relationships, where you try to give yourself up to somehow make your partner be happy with you. At the end, it would always turn out that nothing is enough, and you have no real influence over how satisfied they are with who or what you are, or what you can give them. The bottom-line would always be that they simply enjoy manipulating you into doing something you hate, while they keep telling you how unhappy you make them. It's difficult to recognize, because you keep on trying, and you can get seriously hurt by the time you can actually get rid of such a person, but it's not impossible either. Maybe a good friend can help in that too.**


	53. Chapter 53

Picard stepped into the observation lounge and found the Admiral standing at one of the tall windows looking out over Epsilon Four. He stopped short considering what to do, because it seemed the older man didn't even take notice of his coming in. Finally, he walked up to him and looked out of the window too.

"You find me pathetic, don't you Picard?" he heard the tired voice of the old man, and he looked at the Admiral as he went on "The pathetic gullible old man who was taken for a ride by a criminal." he turned to the Captain with hatred on his face "And now you can say, you were RIGHT!"

Picard turned to him fully "Whoever was right or wrong became unimportant the moment our comrades were taken away to a fate we cannot even fathom. But I will not be your father confessor! I cannot give you absolution, Admiral, saying that Jones managed to fool everybody around him, including his wife and a whole colony of people, even if that's the truth. This is no excuse for your abusing your authority and failing to consider whatever argument you were presented against Jones throughout this mission."

"My whole life was only about Starfleet, Picard!" the Admiral retorted visibly desperate for Picard to see his point "Do you understand that? Ninety-two years, seventy-two of which I spent serving! I had no family! Barely any friends! All I ever wanted was the betterment of the Federation and to serve the Fleet! And what's the reward?! Retirement! They say I'd deserve some rest! And I was about to accept it: time flew by, I couldn't change that. But when I lay my hands on the classified internal communiqué about what the real opinion was about me, I knew I couldn't let them send me away as an invalid! Unfit for duty, they say! Old, frail, they say! Cannot give any added value to the Fleet with his service any longer, they say! Make room for others, more efficient, more capable... This, after seventy-two years of nothing but service, Picard..." he stepped to the Captain, and looked deep into his eyes "Don't you understand? All I wanted was to simply prove them wrong! One last time! To have a chance at going out with dignity! I had to grab the opportunity when it arose, Picard! Don't you understand what a huge asset Epsilon Four could have been? All our dilithium resource problems could have been solved forever! And maybe I would have been duly appreciated too... Was it wrong of me to want that? After seventy-two years..."

Picard frowned and shook his head "Reaching your goals by making compromises unacceptable by anyone having a marginal understanding of the spirit of our laws can never be right, Admiral! I refuse to believe that the ends would justify the means. The Federation and Starfleet were not founded on such principals. And if you want to serve the institutions I believe in as strongly as you say you do too, I'd suggest that you should revise your way of thinking! Even after seventy-two years."

That was the first moment Picard saw a sparkle of recognition in the eyes of the elder man - and a hint of guilt too. So there may be hope for you, Picard mused as he heard the door opening. They turned to the new-comers, and Beverly, Deanna, Will, Geordi and Juliana all filed in talking silently. Picard could see they were very upset. He took the seat at the head of the table, the Admiral sat on one side, Will on the other. The others sat at their usual seats and grew silent, looking at him expectantly.

"I know that all of you are distressed over the events that just had taken place on the planet. Most of us are personally affected, but I'd like to ask everybody to keep our clarity of thought and let us try to come up with a solution." he turned to Will "Number One, have you managed to make contact with the planet? In or outside the government."

Will shook his head entwining the fingers of his hands before him on the table "All communications are severed, Sir. They refuse to answer our hails."

"It is imperative to establish some form of communications with them given the fact that the whole colony is in grave danger. Let us send them a short, straightforward message about the tectonic disturbances, and of course our offer of help."

"Aye, Sir." Will nodded, and Picard turned to Juliana.

"Ms. Tainer, have you managed to finish your research about how we can stop the planet from tearing itself apart?"

Juliana let out a short breath - she seemed awfully tired and distressed "I am... still working on it, Captain. The Dreman planet that you managed to save years ago was essentially different from Epsilon Four, so all the calculations have to be redone taking into consideration all the unknown factors. And there are a lot of unknown factors regarding Epsilon Four."

Deanna looked at her struck by an idea "Doctor Tainer, yesterday, we asked Data to break into the computer system of Epsilon Four. There might be information there you could use. I can help you with it, if you wish." she offered, and Juliana nodded.

"Yes, that might be helpful, thank you."

"How long before the planet destroys itself?" Beverly asked on a strained voice.

"Given that the rate of the process is accelerating rapidly," Juliana shook her head locking her gaze with hers "not long. A dormant volcano awoke near the north pole after thousands of years. It's far from the colony, but the effects can be felt all over the planet. Also the quakes became now very frequent AND severe: it can be expected that at least three-five quakes would take place a day, with strengths up to 8.9 on the Richter-scale and growing worse with every passing hour. One such quake may destroy Ethel city itself." she looked around "Before the planet destroys itself, it will destroy the colony and its people. By the time the process reaches its catastrophic end, no organic living being will be alive."

"Doctor, we need those preparations finished." Picard stated, emphasising the obvious.

"What about our authorization to interfere?" Deanna asked "If we cannot communicate with the planet at all, on whose authority would we stop the catastrophe?"

"Mine." they heard the Admiral's low voice from next to Picard, and they all stared at him stunned "I've made serious errors during this mission, and... well, you all know about it now, anyways: my work at Starfleet is almost over. Let me do the right thing one last time."

Silence descended on them for a brief moment before Beverly spoke up "As much as I appreciate this gesture, it still remains only what it is! A gesture. And no gesture could undo it, if we never see our friends - family members - ever in our lives again!"

The Admiral nodded with a hard expression "I'm aware of the fact that I'm guilty in this matter, Doctor, but I don't have the power to reverse time and do something about it! Besides Ms. Jones and Mr. Data both had vital roles in the fact that the events turned out the way they did!"

Beverly raised her head sharply at this "You dare blame them?! YOU dragged Emma into this! She never wanted to go back to the planet! You literally blackmailed her! And for what?! Just to prove your abilities! That your judgement is still sound! Well, let me destroy all your illusions regarding that!" she shouted losing control of her emotions.

"Beverly!" the Captain uttered on a low but firm voice, and she stopped her tirade as they locked gazes "There's no point in this."

"The Captain is right." Deanna spoke up "We should rather try to find a solution to this situation."

"How?!" Geordi asked, and suddenly Beverly's agitation found an equal! "How are we possibly gonna be able to solve this situation?! Suppose we stop the tectonic catastrophe. Data and Emma are still captives of Jones! They'll be accused of treason! And from what we know, they'll be executed or made to work in a prison camp! We have no power to prevent that, no matter if the Admiral authorizes us to do anything about it!"

"Jones will not make Data work in a prison camp." they suddenly heard Juliana's silent voice. She spoke almost as if she didn't notice that they were listening to her as she went on "He didn't take my son only to take revenge over his wife. He said to me: You would be the perfect tool for my needs! But I'll need to do with your son for now."

They gaped realizing amidst the terrible things Jones uttered yesterday on the Bridge, they barely even noticed what he told Juliana - but it made more sense now...

"He wants to use him." Geordi said on a low voice.

"For what?" Deanna asked frowning.

Geordi leaned forward to lock gazes with Juliana "What would make YOU the perfect tool for his needs? You have the same abilities as Data, moreover, you have certain limitations so even YOU wouldn't suspect that you're an android and not a human."

"This is it!" Picard cut in, and they all looked at him "He needs Data as a tool for propaganda. YOU, Ms. Tainer, would be perfect, because you look EXACTLY like a human. But I'm sure he can shock his people with somebody as close to being a human as Data is."

"To make the people afraid?" Deanna asked following his logic.

The Captain nodded "I suppose so." he went on with his thread of thought steepling his fingers in front of his chest "Mr. Mils told us that Jones wants to solidify his power. That after the death of the former Premier, the people started to be afraid without one strong leader. We've seen evidence of that ourselves, when we talked to people down there. What if he wants to focus that fear? And use it to gain power through that? The way his predecessor did many times so successfully?"

Will started to talk trying to put together the picture "So he'd use Data to scare the hell out of his own people. When they're terrorised enough, he'll offer them safety by strengthening the dictatorship they're already suffering from, thus solidifying his own power. In the meantime, he can cause as much pain to his wife as he wishes. When he has enough fun, he'll get rid of both of them. And'll find a new toy to abuse." the others listened to him in shocked silence as he raised his gaze and looked into the eyes of his Captain "The next time, you bump into Q, Sir, make sure NOT to mention this incident to him. Or we'll all be damned in Q's hell for being a savage race. And with a very good reason this time."

The Captain glanced away with a fleeting half-smile at what he'd said, then looked back at his second officer with a patient expression "Will, this is NOT the conclusion to be drawn here. We're not born savage. We're defined by our surroundings! By our society. Do you think that a person like Jones would stand any chance on a world where people are provided for? Have there been any dictatorships on Earth since we have our replicators? People learn to share, to be more trusting, and selfless, if material needs are not the center of their attention. The people of Epsilon Four strive from day to day to survive another day, week or month. If you're tired, listless, hopeless AND deprived as they are, you will start to believe people who give you easy solutions. THIS is why propaganda works on Epsilon Four. THIS is why it's always worked ONLY when the time was right for it. They turned back time on their planet trusting that all of them were there for the same reason, because they were coming from a society where you CAN trust one another. But... they were not prepared for the possible negative outcomes. They were not prepared for somebody abusing their trust."

"But how could he use Data without knowing anything about cybernetics?" Deanna asked confused returning the conversation to the problem at hand from the fields of philosophy they detoured to "Would it be enough to point a finger on Data that he's an android and has to be feared only based on the color of his skin? Would people really believe that so easily?"

Geordi shook his head a little impatient "It's more than enough, if he finds out about his off-switch. For propaganda, what more do you need than a mechanical man turned off in front of your very eyes?" his eyes wandered around to rest instinctively on Riker "It can have an effect even on people who are aware of the fact that androids exist..." he turned his gaze away, and Riker felt it burned holes in his conscience. Geordi added bemused "Think about how somebody who's never known about androids would react to such a thing."

Deanna looked into Will's eyes and hoped he wouldn't react to what Geordi had said. It was plain that the engineer was upset for his friend. He simply found the wrong person to take it out on. Riker pursed his lips and glanced away almost sulkingly.

"The question is, what we can do to stop Jones." Picard stated.

Beverly raised her head at this "I gave Emma my combadge, when we said goodbye. If we want to find them, we just need to follow the signal of the badge." she sighed heavily "I promised her we'd go for them, so I'd like to volunteer to beam down and free her and Data."

"Beverly-"

"Jean-Luc! I know this is dangerous, especially given the seismic activity on the planet, and it's against all the rules and regulations. But I'm willing to face the consequences."

"I'm volunteering too!" Geordi declared before the Captain could reply anything.

"What about the rest of the planet?" Will asked suddenly, and they all turned to him "Even if we save our comrades, what would happen to the enslaved hundreds of thousands, who have no idea how they're being manipulated? What about Mils? We know he committed no crime, and led his Resistance movement in a peaceful way. Do we simply let him die? It's obvious he'll be executed, Jones bragged about it, when he captured us."

They then heard Juliana's soft sob, and Will gaped dumbstruck seeing her crying "I-I'm sorry..." he breathed slowly putting two and two together.

Deanna took the tortured old lady's hand and stroked it soothingly as she wiped her tears "It's not your fault, Commander." Juliana breathed "I'm sorry for acting so unprofessional."

The Captain leaned forward steepling his fingers "In this moment, virtually none of us can act completely professional, Doctor Tainer. But Will's questions are valid." he turned up his palms for a moment "We're in the exact same situation we were with Turkana Four: no one asked for our help or interference in the internal affairs of an oppressing regime. Remember, we followed the rules then and sent Ishara Yar back without imprisoning her for her deeds during the mission."

"I will take full responsibility, Picard." the Admiral spoke up, and they all looked at him "Do as you see fit to save as many as you can." he added on a low voice.

The Captain nodded grimly "In this case, Beverly, Geordi you may beam down to the planet. I need you to be extremely cautious, and have a lock on your badges at all times. Even at the slightest sign of danger, you're ordered to ask for an emergency beam out. Understood?" he asked, and they both nodded. He then turned to Deanna and Juliana "Ms. Tainer, please continue your research and notify me when you're ready to implement the solution." then to Will "Number One, we'll need to find a way to let these people know about the danger they're facing on that planet, and the fact that their clinging to twenty-first century technology would kill them."

"We can tap into the existing broadcasting network of the colony." Geordi pointed out. He stood and walked over to the console behind Picard. They watched as he hit the console buttons on an impressive speed as he talked "We could send a message through it, moreover, I can switch on all of their telecommunication devices and override whatever is on right now to surely deliver it to most of the population!" he added and then turned on the screen "This is what they currently have on, Sir."

The screen lit up and an announcer was in the middle of reading the news "...he was convicted for sedition, treason, and committing acts of violence and terrorism during a single session of a drumhead trial." the scene changed, and they could see Earl with his wrists bound together in front of him and surrounded by a dozen of soldiers on a podium in the middle of a large square filled with a huge crowd. "Given his notoriety, the execution drew a heightened attention. At least three-thousand people gathered on Republic Square to witness this historical moment: the end of the Resistance."

They all stood up gathering around the small screen with dread on their faces as they watched Earl being led up to what seemed to be a transporter of some kind.

"Oh, my god..." Beverly whispered recognizing what they saw "Emma talked about this! They execute people with a malfunctioning transporter to emphasise that technology is essentially bad!"

They watched in distress as one of the soldiers pressed a button, and Earl's body disintegrated into shining particles, and in a few moments was, completely gone. Deanna pulled Juliana close and stroked her back as the elder woman cried soundlessly into her.

The scene then focused on the balcony of an enormous building at the far end of the square. They all recognized the building to be the residence of the Premier. They gaped shocked as they slowly realized just who they saw standing next to Jones as the announcer went on "...this was the first public appearance of Premier Jones' wife in three years. During a press-conference held by the Premier after the execution, to a journalist enquiry, he declared that Mrs. Jones fully recovered from her long illness, and we will see her more often at his side from now on. The crowd greeted the once celebrated actress with overwhelming affection, and-"

"Screen off!" Picard commanded on a harsh voice. They looked at him taken aback, and he shook his head "Let's not traumatize ourselves with this any further, but concentrate on the tasks ahead!"

They were about to agree, when suddenly the blaring sirens of the red-alert flared up, and they heard the tense voice of Lieutenant Anderson coming through the comlink "Captain! The Romulan ship has returned!" No sooner did she utter the words, when they felt the ship shaking, and they knew they'd been hit.

"To battle stations!" Picard commanded, and they rushed out to the Bridge.

* * *

Data was standing tied by the wrists to a metal slab in what seemed to be some sort of a laboratory. It had an uncomfortable resemblance to how the Borg kept him captive, though his hands now were bound next to his sides, but the manacles holding him were at least as strong as the Borg shackles, and after a few attempts, he realized he wasn't able to free himself without damaging his wrists.

The room was in the basement of the residence of the Premier, so he was sure, he'd soon get a visit by Jones. It was plain he'd planned a special role for him - although it was also possible that he simply wanted to take revenge, and was ready to use all scientific knowledge he could have gathered in here in order to get that. The computer consoles certainly seemed cutting-edge technology, albeit seemingly not of human origin. Maybe Romulan, just as the instruments they'd found in the mines.

He turned his head to further examine the small room covered in semi-darkness around him. Four Romulan soldiers stood in the four corners - and Sela was standing opposite him ever since they arrived here. She seemed to study him, and he turned his gaze away from her eyes.

She walked up to him slowly to stand opposite him. He avoided her gaze and simply stared into nothing to his side. Sela squinted confused "Why are you not looking into my eyes, android?"

Data turned his head back and fixed his gaze on hers "I do not wish to make any interactions with you or your associates." he explained and turned his gaze away again.

"Why not? Soon you'll be taken to Romulus and taken apart to your very wires. Don't you wish to be in the company of someone you at least know in your last hours?"

He turned back with a slight frown "I thought Mr. Jones would want to make some sort of a use of me. I am held captive here and not on your ship, after all."

"He asked for two hours with you." she chuckled "I suppose he'd want revenge that you took his little concubine." she snorted "Honestly, I don't think he has any idea how to go about taking revenge on someone like you at all." she shrugged and looked into his eyes with a delighted smile "But why not give him, what he wants, if he pays with more dilithium, AND at the end, I'd lay my hands on you anyways."

Data frowned sensing a certain flaw in her patronizing carelessness. Sela never seemed to consider her plans to the smallest detail, but he would certainly not be the one to warn her about the fact that - as the vernacular went - this plan stank from a hundred lightyears.

"Is it true that you served with my mother?" she asked suddenly, she shrugged adding "I read it in her files."

"No. I served with the Tasha Yar from my universe. Your mother was taken captive by Romulans in an alternative universe compared to the one we served in together."

She chuckled then snorted "You're true to your overcomplicated nature even in the way you speak. And even when the end is near. I find it as annoying as the Vulcan's love of logic."

He glanced away musing on this "Tasha found it equally annoying."

She moved away pacing in the small cell "Was the Tasha Yar of your universe as single-minded as my mother?" she asked seemingly curiously. She smiled a little nostalgically "Don't be surprised. I don't have the chance to talk about her often. She was a traitor to the empire after all!"

"So you do not allow yourself to think of your birth-mother in any other terms. But only as a traitor." he concluded.

She turned to him sharply at this "How well you can stab, android!" she walked up to him and glared into his eyes "Without emotions, how could you learn so well what would hurt your opponent the most?" she hissed.

"Emotions are not completely unknown to me. And I did not mean to hurt your feelings. Merely stated a conclusion I drew from what you had told me." he explained on a colorless tone.

"She WAS a traitor! Betrayed everything I ever loved! Including my father! She deserved to die." she stated with blazing eyes.

He glanced away with a slightly troubled frown "Not in my universe." he whispered as she recalled the memory of Tasha's pointless death.

She walked up to him with a stunned frown "You do know emotions." she whispered and locked her gaze with his "You might even have them! You had them for my mother, didn't you?"

He shook his head "You are wrong."

"This is why you don't look at me? I remind you of her?" she asked with a small astonished smile spreading on her lips. She stepped in to stand close to him "What was she to you?"

He stood there with his usual deadpan expression feeling her breath on his lips and looked into her eyes unmoved by her sudden visible attraction "You do remind me of Tasha, yes. Your interest in our past makes me realize the possible reason behind your personal interest in me: I do understand the certain temptation offered by the challenge that the conquer of an unemotional man may pose. However, I am sure, the Romulan Star Empire did not invest so much resources into acquiring me to simply provide you with a concubine of your own."

She snorted with disgust "You sound like a Vulcan!" she spat stepping away from him.

Then the door opened, and Jones and Emma walked in through it.

Data's eyes glued on his lover, and he sensed his sub-processors running wild with the craving of touching her - or at least to lock gazes with her. She was wearing clean clothes: a black pair of satin-silk trousers and a matching blouse, with unusually high heals. Her hair was piled up in a loose bun, and a gentle make-up highlighted her exquisite features. He was suddenly reminded of her stunning looks, when he first saw her in full make-up and costume for Dreamland. It occurred to him that when he had emotions, he often felt pleasure only by looking at her. And now, without emotions, he experienced a numb sensation of never wanting to take his eyes off of her.

However, he had only a single second to marvel in her looks, because when she raised her head and locked gazes with him, he saw the most unsettling expression she ever wore: her eyes were hazy, her gaze haunted, and she seemed distraught, almost as if she didn't even recognize him. What might have happened in the short hour they'd been separated?!

He had no time to brood on it. Two seconds after Emma and Jones stepped into the room, several soldiers filed in after them.

"What the-" Sela began but couldn't finish.

Her own soldiers were slaughtered with four perfectly aimed shots to the head. Emma stood pressed to the wall, wide-eyed, petrified at the sight of the murders, while Data watched it across from her stunned, completely unprepared - even though he suspected that Jones was planning something!

"What are you doing?!" Sela demanded visibly crippled by the sudden turn of events.

Jones pulled out a disruptor from his pocket and pressed it to her skull "Getting rid of the competition!" he declared and pulled the trigger.

Sela's blood spurted from her skull, and she was dead before her body hit the floor. An ever growing pond of her blood formed around her head. Jones squatted to her and after a few moments of fumbling, he found the communication device she had with her.

He activated it, and started on a panic-stricken voice "Romulan ship! Romulan ship! We were attacked! We were attacked! Commander Sela is dead!"

There was some static noise, before the confused voice of a Romulan soldier came through "Who is this?!" he demanded.

"Premier Jones! Your commander was killed by Starfleet officers! They have a ship in orbit! We will take care of the ones on the planet, but Commander Sela wanted you to take out the Enterprise!" he explained gasping, putting up the façade of being in a serious fight.

Emma stood pressed to the wall watching in horror as the blood of the five dead Romulans slowly filled the tiled floor, reaching her shoes. She shut her eyes praying for this nightmare to finally end.

Her husband's voice grew distant and died away with the rest of the sounds in the lab. There was only darkness, and her own heart beat, nothing else for a while. Then she saw Earl's defiant face as he stepped up on the transporter that would beam him into oblivion. She thought she could hear his voice in her head. Loud and clear, as if he was talking to her right next to her on that balcony even though they were standing dozens of meters apart, separated by a crowd of people cheering viciously at his death! "Don't cry, Little bird!" she heard him saying "Wherever I go, my son will be waiting for me there!" she saw his sparkling gray eyes once so full of life and vigour "Never give up! Never give in!" she heard, and she became aware of her breathing quickening and becoming laboured as she watched her beloved friend simply disappear.

Somebody touched her on her arm, and she opened her eyes to find Edmond looking at her almost lovingly. "It's over, chérie, you can open your eyes now." She frowned confused and gazing around, found that the dead Romulans were gone. Their blood was gone. As if none of what she'd just witnessed had taken place. And in that moment, she sincerely questioned her own sanity.

Jones stepped over to Data and looked into his eyes smiling "Two birds with one stone. How do you like my efficiency, machine? You appreciate efficiency, don't you?" Data refused to answer. His gaze travelled from him to Emma, who stood there as if she completely lost her contact with reality. Jones turned to look at her too, then turned back to him smiling "Don't worry about her, she'll recover in a moment. She's a doctor after all. She's familiar with death and blood, maybe more so than we are."

Data looked into his eyes "If the Enterprise is destroyed, other Federation starships will take its place. They will want answers. And you will not be left alone until they get one."

"There will also be Romulan ships looking for Sela. Both them and the Federation will find themselves face to face with an age old enemy. Do you really think they would care about the colony as under-developed as Epsilon Four is? I will simply spread my arms saying, I know about nothing!" he chuckled "You see, android, the most important skill in chess is to be flexible!" he walked back to Emma and circling her, put his hands on her shoulders. "When I learned about your true nature, that changed everything! A whole new game started! My silly little wife here thought that she was my first and foremost priority throughout. The Admiral thought that dilithium was my first and foremost priority throughout. Both were wrong! Because when I learned just WHAT exactly you were, YOU became my first and foremost priority!"

Data stood in silence for a moment longer considering what he'd just heard "You want to use me as a tool of propaganda. To scare your people, saying that the Federation sent an almost complete imitation of humans to infiltrate the closed society. And to provide a quick and easy alleviation of their sudden fears, you will publicly destroy me. Since you needed the business with dilithium only to gain money by which you can strengthen your power, after capturing me, you did not need Sela's assistance any longer. This is why you killed her."

"Very good, machine!" Jones nodded appreciatively "You're very smart." he planted a kiss on Emma's cheek "Isn't he smart, chérie?" he chuckled seeing her empty gaze looking back at him, and he smiled at Data delighted "I may keep you for entertainment! These chimps that call themselves humans often bore me to death with their stupidity!"

Emma stood there listlessly letting her husband hold her. The only thought that remained in her head was that she needed to free Data. Somehow. And help him escape. Nothing else mattered anymore. But there were soldiers guarding the door, and they were three stories deep underneath the residence that was also heavily guarded. How? How should she do this?!

She felt herself pulling her body free from her husband's disgusting embrace and stepping up to Data, she gazed into his eyes. Oh, my sweet Deadpan! Even if every tiny bit of me purges here, I swear I'll protect you! I swear to you!

Data could see the all-consuming distress on her face, so he decided to argue with Jones to make her see that not all is lost. And also hoped to gain information from making Jones talk "You base the success of this plan on the single premise of the people getting scared of me, as I am. However, you are forgetting that I have my own free will! Once I am showed to anyone, I will start explaining what just took place here. How you are manipulating your own people. The bigger the publicity, the better. I will reach more people. Some will surely listen."

"No. You will do no such thing. You will be as obedient as a lapdog!" Jones stated on a hard voice.

"Why would I? You cannot touch me. You have nothing that would make me obey you, apart from Emma's life. And it is highly unlikely that you would blackmail me with her. She is far too important to you to simply give her up just to try to make me do as you say." Data concluded.

Emma turned to Jones and looked into his eyes with a strangely determined expression "Even if you did," she started on a soft voice "I'd sooner be dead or in prison than to take part in anything that would make you reach your goals." she declared.

In that moment, they stood there defiant and united. Seeing them together like that contorted Jones face into a furious, deadly expression. "There are more sophisticated methods than blackmail!" he growled with blazing eyes, and motioned to a guard with his hand, who opened the door and stepped out.

"You do not have the means to break into my system." Data told him on his usual silent voice "Even with twenty-fourth century technology, the Soong-type design is too complex for an average engineer to crack. Even the Borg failed to accomplish that."

Emma looked up at him, and this time, he saw a tiny sparkle of hope in her eyes. He gave her a small smile, and she was amazed at his optimism even in the darkest hour.

But the moment was gone, and they heard a male voice answer him "But I will succeed." Data felt a chilling sensation creeping up his spine as a fraction of a second before the man entered, his voice-recognition algorithms told him just who it was.

"Doctor Maddox..." he whispered as the cyberneticist stepped into the lab.

"Hello, Data." he greeted him on a grim voice as they locked gazes.

Emma stood next to her love feeling an overwhelming desperation flooding her very being. But the only thing she could do was slightly shaking her head in denial, barely believing her own two eyes.

Jones stepped up to her "Check-mate, ma chérie."

* * *

 **A/N: Feedback always welcome! :)**


	54. Chapter 54

**M for violence**

* * *

The ground under their feet shook dangerously as the senior staff reached the bridge just when the first disruptor blast of the bird-of-prey touched the shields of the Enterprise.

Anderson tried to stumble to her workstation from the command chair where she'd been sitting, but had to grip the back of the Ops chair for balance. She pressed some buttons on her console "Shields on 72 percent! No damage to the hull, Sir! But they're targeting us again!"

The shaking became less intense for a second as the inertia dampeners compensated, and finally everybody managed to reach their posts. Picard called out "Evasive action!" and at that, he was slumped into his command chair rather unceremoniously, because the Enterprise took a sharp turn. "Open a channel!" he groaned.

"Frequency open, Sir!" Joffrey reported from the tactical console, holding tightly onto it. They all grabbed whatever they could reach as the Enterprise took another steep curve to avoid the next disruptor blast of the Romulan ship.

"They missed again!" Anderson reported.

"Only by a margin!" Riker growled tapping his console.

"Romulan ship!" the Captain addressed their opponents on a raised voice. "You're committing a severe breach of the Treaty of Algeron! Cease fire immediately, or we'll return it!"

"No answer, Sir!" Anderson told him on a tense voice turning her head back to look at her Captain scared.

"The Romulan ship is on an attack vector again!" Joffrey reported on a high pitched voice.

"Prepare quantum torpedoes!" Picard ordered.

The Enterprise ducked from the Romulan disruptor blast with an agility the other ship lacked. But what the bird-of-prey was missing in flexibility, it made up on fire power. Another high energy blast hit the flag ship on the starboard nacelle. The Enterprise shook violently, making the crew again hold on tight to their consoles and chairs.

"Shields down to 36 percent, no damage to the hull, but one more shot like that, and the shields collapse!" Anderson warned them.

"Torpedoes ready!" Joffrey reported cutting in.

"Bring us around, Lieutenant, on an attack vector. Target their disruptors! Fire!" the Captain commanded. The Enterprise made a sudden ducking manoeuvre, flying underneath the enemy ship. The warbird couldn't follow the stunt immediately, and it gave the Enterprise enough time to fire on its weapon systems. The blasts hit the Romulan ship furiously, but the moment of advantage was gone, and the Romulan ship was ready to return the assault making the Enterprise run for her life once again.

"Their shields hold, Captain!" Anderson declared with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"Fire at will!" Picard ordered, and Joffrey did his best to synchronize his shots with the evasive manoeuvres they were performing.

"Should we consider a saucer sep, Captain?" Riker asked "It would give them two targets to worry about. It might give us just enough space to out-manoeuvre them!"

Picard shook his head looking only at the main viewer "No! The saucer section then would become an easy target for the Romulans! I don't want to risk that! What's the closest Federation ship? We need backup!"

"The USS Hood, Sir!" Anderson answered "But still three parsecs away!"

The Enterprise meanwhile took a quick circle around the Romulan ship to get behind it once again and avoided another potentially lethal blast. But the turn also made all of their shots miss the Romulans.

"Send them a sub-space message! Tell them we need all the help we can get!"

"Aye, Sir!" Anderson complied and tapped her console. The next moment, she fell out of her chair, hitting her head on the floor hard. The next thing she knew was that the lights blacked out for a second, coming back only partially. Some of the consoles were spitting sparkles and went blank. She turned her head and saw that the Captain and Riker were trying to get up from the floor too - they must have got a direct hit!

Riker, sitting back into his chair and wiping the blood off his temple, where it was seeping from a wound on his head, tapped his console "Direct hit to the port nacelle." he growled on a low voice. The Captain sat back into his chair too next to him, nursing his shoulder painfully. He looked at his second in command, and Riker went on on a grave voice "Shields are down. And we're crippled."

They all stared at the bird-of-prey on the viewscreen scared to death as it flared up its disruptors for one last blast to wipe them out of the sky.

* * *

Jones watched his wife and her android boytoy looking at the new-comer petrified, as if they saw a ghost, and he smirked "Surprise, surprise, machine! I suppose I don't need to introduce you." he chuckled at their dumbstruck expressions "Let me help out. You're asking how do I even know our kind guest here? Well, Doctor Maddox and I met by accident after the meeting when I had you jailed." he told Data, then turned to Emma smiling proudly "Oh, chérie, you should have been there to see me! It was one of the biggest performance of your husband to this date to get HIS colleagues confine HIM after I was the one who tried to kill him! Twenty-fourth century..." he chuckled again looking back at Data "Anyways, to cut a long story short, it only took a look in the good Doctor Maddox' eyes to know that he could be talked into anything as long as he got what he wanted above all else! After learning that he's a cyberneticist, it was plain that all he wanted was YOU!" he pointed at Data "The rest as you say, was history. And a little help from my late Romulan friends, their gods may rest them in peace." he added with a pious expression on his features.

Emma felt a new wave of desperation wash over her seeing Maddox starting to work at the consoles as if he was just doing a routine diagnostic at his Institute. She stepped up to him "No! You cannot do this! You're a Starfleet officer! How can you stoop so low?!" she asked openly sobbing.

He looked at her with cold eyes "I offered Data the best compromise that would help him and me mutually. He declined. What other choice did I have?"

"Selling my brother out to be your guinea pig was not a compromise that I would ever have accepted. You knew that, even when you asked me." Data told him on a low voice "However, I was always convinced that whatever you would do, it would always be for the purpose of preserving my father's dream. And now you are ready to destroy it?"

Maddox stood opposite him frowning, seemingly upset about the accusation "Don't you understand that what I'm trying to do is exactly the preservation of his dream, his legacy?! What the Premier is asking from me to do to you is only some small adjustment in your software. Nothing major. But in exchange, I'd finally get the guide I've been missing all these years to successfully copy Doctor Soong's creation of genius! I'm not the one about to destroy his work! You have been! All along! For over all these years! By not cooperating, not taking his dream seriously! You never fully understood just what a perfect creature you are! That it is the duty of humanity to be able to replicate and use your abilities to our advantage! You never understood that being the first of many involves a certain need for sacrifice!" he shrugged disappointed "What was important to you..." he motioned to Emma "This? To fall in love? To have friends? To be a another button-pusher on a starship, one out of millions? To live the life that any human being could live?" he stepped up to him staring right into Data's golden gaze "You never took the responsibility of being the only manifestation of your father's dream. Now, you'll have no choice but to face it!"

"I should never have trusted someone who was ready to dissect me once." Data replied seeing that no argument would use against Maddox' blind belief in his just cause.

Maddox just snorted and went back behind the console.

Emma looked up at Data in complete terror and desperation. He could see, she was trembling and couldn't stop crying, and she was white as a wall. He knew she should have been resting with her being as weak as she was, and instead, she was under severe mental stress and emotional distress. He needed to try to calm her at least a little. "Emma." he started on a silent voice, and she looked at him sniffling, hugging herself as if she was cold. He tried to give her the most reassuring smile he could manage "Please, do not cry. He might be the foremost cyberneticist of the Daystrom Institute, but THIS is my system! I am capable of protecting myself, do not worry!" he saw that she was trying to get a grip on her emotions "Please, calm down!" he soothed - then winced uncomfortably as he sensed that Maddox was trying to break into his systems using a wireless connection. He quickly set all his sub-processors to work on a counter-measure.

Jones watched them silently brooding, standing in a dark corner a few paces from them with crossed arms. Maddox was tapping the console quickly and efficiently having already familiarized himself with the instruments after he'd been beamed over by the Romulans. Jones lazily walked up to him and putting his forearm on one of the tall consoles, he asked as he glared only at Data "Is he... able to fall in love?"

Maddox barely noticed his presence, just nodded absently "Yes, he is."

A peculiar expression appeared on Jones' face then. Close to being shocked, but there was more disgust in it than anything else. "So he's not simply programmed to be attached to her or to protect her. Or to satisfy her sexually. He CAN actually love her?" he asked on a voice suggesting that only THEN did he actually begin to comprehend the depth of his wife's little affair.

Maddox sighed impatiently not even looking up "Of course. He's sentient. The only sentient android in the Federation. This is exactly why I want to understand just how he could be replicated!" he explained almost casually then frowned determined "I established the wireless connection to his systems, now I'm starting to crack his firewalls. After that, I will be able to reprogram the positronic matrix. But this may take a while." he shook his head frustrated "Especially that he's trying everything to keep me out." he went on tapping the console again.

When Data felt the wireless connection established to his systems, he quickly realized, he was in big trouble. Whatever the source of that computer was, Federation or Romulan, it certainly had cutting-edge technology: when he avoided one attack, the system adapted and tried something new. He needed all his processing capacity to calculate a counter-move for all the moves the attacking machine was making. He only vaguely could pay attention to whatever was going on outside of his head.

"How?" Jones asked, and Maddox glanced at him absently.

"How what?" he growled.

"How can you achieve that a machine, made up by a pile of wires and integrated circuitry is in effect able to fall in love?" Jones asked disbelievingly as if this was the very first time he faced the fact that his wife did not cheat on him simply for sexual gratification or security. She WAS in a relationship! With a machine, who could actually love her!

He looked at Data "And you do love her, don't you?" he stepped up to him pushing Emma away from his way "Answer me, machine!" he shouted with blazing eyes.

Data stared at him with an unreadable expression "To you... I have nothing to say." he told him slowly, not having enough processing capacity for more.

Jones turned to Emma watching him with growing dread - she knew this expression. Every time he wore it, he'd find the one thing that would hurt her the most, and he'd not back off until she was begging for mercy.

"And you?" he asked stepping up to her "Do you love him?"

"Edmond, please stop this..." she breathed, and he grabbed her arm pulling her close "Answer me, you whore!"

"Jones!" Data called out, and Jones turned to him surprised. Data looked into his eyes for a long moment before finding a free processing thread to answer "I do love her." he told the man on a low voice "Although I have serious doubts that you have even the vaguest idea about the meaning of that word."

Maddox watched them taken aback, frozen in his movements with wide eyes, giving Data at least a few moments of pause in his cracking attack. Maddox was scared for a moment as Jones turned back to him, and he looked into his deranged eyes "How? How is it possible?" the man asked again demandingly.

The cyberneticist shook his head not really knowing what to answer to that. He shrugged slightly seeing that he would not be able to simply avoid replying "To understand the processes would involve at least a basic understanding of cybernetic principles and-"

Jones pulled out a disruptor from his pocket and pushed it to Data's head "Just answer me, or I swear, you'll never get a chance to look into his head."

Maddox' eyes widened in terror, and he answered without thinking "He possesses an emotion-chip, that generates basic feelings."

Jones stood there petrified for a long moment, before his face lit up with a strange kind of delight "An emotion generating chip! How original!" he laughed taking the gun from Data's head and stepping back to the terrified Emma "How do you like this thought, chérie? A chip. You are loved by a small box of circuitry. Without it, he's just like any other computer. Take a look over there!" he pointed to the consoles "Do you find THEM sexy?" he asked and laughed again, this time at her expression.

Emma shook her head then gazed at her lover "You understand nothing, Edmond..." she breathed. Some more laughter was her reply.

Data still struggled against the attack on the firewalls protecting his positronic brain and calculated that he'd lose the war in little more than an hour even if he kept on fending it off with all his processing capacity. He sensed a measure of indecisiveness. He had the possibility to deactivate himself without using his off-switch, just by taking all his systems and services off-line and then protecting all of it with a password. Knowing that his abilities in the wrong hands would actually turn into dangerous weapons, this would have been the most logical step to take, given that he wasn't able to help Emma anyways... But something kept him from doing it! He just couldn't leave the woman he knew he loved alone that way! It was a stunning realization that the memories of his feelings for her were actually stronger than his rationality! Even if presently he felt nothing of them.

"Edmond, please..." she begged again on a whisper. Jones pulled his mouth into a satisfied grin.

"How nice it is to hear that!" he chuckled and pulled her into his arms. He then put the disruptor underneath her chin. She gave a soft moan, but didn't dare to move.

Jones turned to Data "How does this feel, machine?" he hissed.

Data took another moment to reply "You will not..." he whispered slowly, but with a wince, sensed his focus switch from his defence to Emma.

Jones smiled "I will not! No. How about this?" he pressed the gun under her chin harder, making her lean her head back. He then tilted his head and kissed a trail on her neck from her throat to her ear. Emma shut her eyes feeling the gun tightly pressed into her skin and sobbed silently at the sensation of his lips travelling on her skin. The next moment, he took his mouth away and let her go. She buried her face in her palms for a short desperate moment but hearing her husband hiss "How did that feel?" made her head shot up, and she watched in terror as Jones stepped to Data and looked into his eyes. Data didn't - couldn't - answer, and he went on "Because I will do this every singular day right in front of your eyes!" But the android remained stubbornly silent, and his expression was as deadpan as ever. Jones squinted as he understood that whatever he tried, he'd not draw any reaction out of his opponent "I want to see it." he declared, and it took them a little while to understand just WHAT he actually meant by that.

"What?" Maddox gaped "No, it's not possible!" he shook his head in bewilderment.

"Oh, yes it is!" Jones shouted "You'll show it to me, or I'll find it for myself!" but Maddox didn't move, and suddenly Jones stepped to one of the guards and pulled out a short-bladed military-knife from his belt. He looked at Emma who stood there frozen to the spot "I'll show you what he's like! I'll show you his feelings are just illusions! I'll show you, he's as empty inside as he FEELS!" with that, he lunged toward Data.

"Edmond!" Emma screamed horrified as he pushed the knife into Data's chest with all of his might.

Jones let the weapon go as low voltage electric arcs surrounded the knife stinging his hand, while the wound spat sparkles for a long moment.

Data's monitoring systems told him that his second sub-processor went blank, shortening the time before his defences would crumble at the attack still wildly raging against his systems. But apart from that, nothing major was hit - of course he could see that Emma didn't realize that and was sobbing hysterically.

Jones pulled out the contorted blade, when the sparkles went out and throwing it away, he tore Data's under-shirt aside to examine the wound "It's here, isn't it? Right where his heart should be!" he breathed on a manic whisper. But all he could see was a few centimeters of Data's metal endo-skeleton underneath the bioplast, and nothing else.

Suddenly, Emma grabbed Jones' suit and pushed him away from Data with a force that stunned her husband "Enough!" she screamed. Jones looked into her eyes disbelievingly for a long moment. "Don't you dare touch him again!" she shouted gasping through her tears.

"You're threatening me?" Jones asked incredulously and chuckled pulling his lips into a smirk.

"I won't let you hurt him!" Emma sobbed shaking her head "You took everybody from me. You won't take him, you'll have to kill me first!" she moaned.

Jones took a small step toward her, and she pressed her back against Data's body. He could hear her drumming heart, and felt her trembling against him. He could not allow her to do this for him! "Emma, please..." he whispered to her "You must not do this!" he begged "You must not!"

Emma just stared into her husband's eyes with unbreakable resolve as he stood opposite her watching his wife protecting that piece of junk! And he could feel that her words were true. And he needed to break her! Break both of them! "Do you know why I never hit you, ma chérie?" he asked on a low voice "Why I never used any kind of physical violence with you?" She swallowed hard, and her hand found Data's, bound to the wall by the wrist. She slipped her hand into his, and he grasped it tightly, not knowing how else to give her some strength. Jones stared into her eyes as he went on "I never needed to! I could find ways to hurt you far more than a simple slap on the face." his expression became dark and cruel "But don't think I will refrain from it, if you make me." he hissed.

She shut her eyes resting her head on Data's chest gasping with terror - but still stubbornly unmoving.

"Alright!" they heard Maddox suddenly from the side, and they all looked at him almost as if waken from a dream. He stepped to Data "Alright, I'll show it to you!" he declared, and reaching behind Data's neck, he opened the service-door and removed the chip. Emma watched on helplessly, knowing she could do nothing to stop their traitor colleague.

Maddox held the chip out in his palm for Jones to see. It sparkled against the lights of the console. "This is it, you see? But now, let this be enough! I cannot concentrate on my work amidst this distraction, and I will not allow you to damage him any further! I won't be able to use him in my research, if he's not intact!"

Jones looked at the tiny shining chip mesmerized "So this is his heart?" he asked on a trembling whisper.

Maddox grimaced "Yes. If you need to use a metaphor, then essentially, this is his heart." Jones reached out and took the chip from Maddox' hand. "But let it be enough, alright? I had enough of this hysteria, when I should be concentrating."

"Don't be afraid, Doctor, there will be no more distraction." Jones declared putting the chip down on the console.

Just as they felt a measure of relief, he pointed the disruptor to it, and wordlessly fired on the small chip.

"What are you doing?!" Maddox shouted wide-eyed as he had to watch the chip dissipating into dust in less than a second. Jones turned off the disruptor and put it back into his pocket. "Do you have any idea what you just did?!" Maddox went on screaming from the top of his lungs "This was the achievement of Doctor Soong's lifetime! An integral part of my research!"

"But it was not part of my plans, my dear Doctor." Jones pointed out to the outraged scientist, then turning to his wife, he grabbed her by the arm - tearing her grip on Data's hand - and made her look at the pile of black dust that once was Data's precious chip. "You see? It's over. He cannot love you anymore." he hissed triumphant into her ear "You're mine again, chérie!"

She stared at the char-black remains and felt the room spin around her before darkness engulfed her, and she collapsed on the floor not knowing about the world any longer. Data watched her unmoving body helpless - and his processors screamed with the sudden load, the source of which was just impossible to identify. He attempted to rearrange his processes to concentrate only on defending himself, but with Emma at his feet, unconscious, unable to protect herself, he had the impression of being in a feedback loop - even with his emotion-chip gone...

Maddox gaped, seeing her faint and crouched next to her, feeling the pulse on her neck "Her pulse is irregular." he stood and fetched a tricorder he'd brought from the Enterprise, then squatted back to her and scanned her "She's severely anemic, malnourished and dehydrated. It's a miracle she was able to stand on her two feet so far." he pressed some buttons "She has traces of L-Cordrazine in her blood."

"What's that?" Jones asked standing above them, watching with an impassive expression.

"A very strong medication, probably the only thing that kept her going as weak as she is."

"Then give her something! There're a lot of drugs in the drawers over there." Jones pointed to the far end of the lab, where tall cabinets stood "We received them from your ever-helpful Federation during the course of years... There should be some of this stuff too." he ordered on a cold voice.

Maddox shook his head "I'm not a medical doctor, I don't administer drugs. But even if I did, she cannot take any more Cordrazine. Her body is completely drained, it would just put more strain on her already weak system." he looked up at Jones with a serious expression "She should get medical attention. Promptly!"

Jones looked at his unconscious wife coldly for a moment longer, then crouching next to her, he picked her up and stood "I'll take care of her. You take care of him." he nodded toward Data "I want him to be ready by the time I get back here!" he declared then turned and left with Emma in his arms.

Data watched them feeling the utilization of his sub-processors spike as an overpowering sense of NEED to go after his lover filled his neural net. Then the door shut behind them, and he turned his head towards his traitor friend. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before he uttered on his usual emotionless voice.

"If she gets hurt, Doctor Maddox, I swear to you, I will find a way to make you pay for it!"


	55. Chapter 55

**M for language**

* * *

"Fire phasers and torpedoes!" the Captain ordered on a hard voice.

"Weapons are inoperable, Captain!" Ensign Joffrey replied desperately.

Everybody understood what that meant: they couldn't move, they couldn't defend themselves. For a moment, a profound silence descended on the Bridge as the crew of the Enterprise stared right into the face of their certain deaths. The disruptors of the warbird flared up once again, and Deanna felt dizzy by the fear of a violent death oozing out of everybody around her, while terror in its purest form gripped her own heart too.

And a fraction of a second before the bird-of-prey gave them the deadly blast, another warbird suddenly decloaked!

"What the-" Riker started, thinking that the Romulans sent another ship to make sure that they get the job done.

But he was wrong! The ship lingered above the other one for a few moments, then its disruptors flared up and before the other ship could react, her weapon and propulsion systems were taken out.

The Enterprise crew watched the events gaping, with their breaths held. It took even Picard a full second to get to his senses. He stood up looking only at the Romulan ship on the viewer:

"Lieutenant! What's the status of our attacker?" he asked on a much lower voice than he intended.

Anderson shook her head slightly to clear it, still feeling dumbstruck, then tapping her console, she replied "They suffered significant damage, Captain. The ship's crippled, her shields are down, and life support is minimal."

"Open a channel to the-"

"Unnecessary, Captain!" Ensign Joffrey cut in "They're calling us, Sir!"

Picard turned to him with a raised eye-brow, and then motioned for him to establish the connection.

A well-known Romulan face showed up on the main viewer.

Picard took a step surprised, and Riker stood next to him staring at the screen.

"Commander Tomalak!" Picard greeted their unlikely saviour.

"Captain Picard. Please, accept my most sincere apologies for this... unfortunate misunderstanding." he grimaced "I assure you, it'll never occur again."

That made Picard snap out of his being dazed by the events "Misunderstanding!" he frowned "Your ship almost destroyed the Enterprise on Federation territory, Tomalak! I could hardly call this a simple misunderstanding. It's an act of war!"

Tomalak raised a soothing hand, wincing at the word that the human captain used "Your agitation is understandable, Captain. However, believe me, the presence of our ship is only a incidental-"

The Captain cut him off "Incidental! After having been almost wiped out of the sky by your ship, I'd be grateful, if you at least spared me from having to listen to your lies!" he barked curtly, making Tomalak gape in irritation for his insolence. But Picard didn't let him say a word - they almost died a moment ago, for god's sake! "We both know that Commander Sela knowingly and repeatedly breached the Treaty of Algeron to trade dilithium with the government of the planet below! The Federation will not stand by and watch this idly! If your government wants to further strain our relations, just go on, and lie about what you call a misunderstanding, but I'd advise against it!"

"Alright, Picard!" Tomalak cut in with a hard expression on his face. His mouth was thin as a line, and his eyes were blazing "The truth is that Sela's mission to Federation space was not authorized by the Senate! We were sent here to stop her."

Picard nodded with an appreciative eye-brow raise "Finally, I hear words that make sense! We are about to stop the government of Epsilon Four, the planet below from going along with an unauthorized plan of their own involving Sela! I suggest to work on this common goal together, Tomalak."

Tomalak grimaced at that but finally nodded "I'm on the same opinion, Picard. Since, there's a considerable amount of sensitive information to exchange, I'll beam over. Stand by." he finished on a colorless tone and closed the channel.

"The Bridge is yours, Number One!" Picard ordered as he started to walk to the aft turbolift. But Beverly caught up with him before he could get in:

"Captain! Permission to beam down to the planet!" she asked anxious for a positive answer.

He looked into her eyes troubled "Beverly, it'd be wiser, if you waited until I talked to Tomalak. He might have information-"

"There's no time to wait, Jean-Luc!" she told him begging "I cannot allow Jones to torture Emma on, and we have no idea what he is ready to do to make Data cooperate in his plans."

Geordi stepped over to them "I agree with Doctor Crusher. Let us beam down, Sir, please!"

Picard exhaled a long breath "As a matter of fact, we do know what he is planning with Data." he mumbled on a low voice. Beverly and Geordi exchanged taken aback glances, and he went on "A short time before the Counsellor and Commander came back from Epsilon Twelve, Doctor Maddox visited me in my ready-room saying that Premier Jones... approached him."

By this time, the senior staff and Juliana surrounded them, and they all gaped at what the Captain had just uttered.

"What do you mean by being approached, Sir?" Geordi asked feeling his pulse steadily rising at the thought.

"He didn't elaborate. I suppose, Jones never let on any details. He said Jones asked him for assistance in a task requiring serious cybernetic knowledge."

"Oh, god..." Geordi breathed.

"Why did you not say a word?" Beverly asked in shock.

"There was virtually no time!" the Captain shook his head "And knowing how distrustful you all are against Maddox, there was no point in making you even more stressed over a decision that might have just saved Data's and Ms. Jones' lives! He might be Data's only chance to escape whatever Jones wants to use him for!"

"Or he might be the very weapon Jones needs against Data!" Geordi told him now visibly upset.

"Geordi, Doctor Maddox IS a Starfleet officer..." Deanna began, but the Chief Engineer cut her off.

"He is, Counsellor! But he's one that cannot say no to his obsessions!" he looked once again at Picard "We should have reported this to you, Sir... Of course you couldn't have known..." he shook his head desperate.

"What, Geordi? What are you talking about?" Picard asked frowning alarmed, knowing that he'd not like whatever he was about to hear.

Geordi sighed heavily "Maddox, he... he literally blackmailed Data before the procedure to remove his emotion-chip was done. He offered him, that he'd pull some strings, and Data could avoid having to undergo the procedure - in exchange for Lore!"

They all gaped disbelievingly at him.

"He still needs a guide in his research. Same as eight years ago. And he's still desperate to finally get it - maybe even more so than he was eight years ago." Geordi told them on a faint voice realizing just as he uttered the words how big a trouble his friend was in.

"Mr. La Forge, why on Earth haven't you reported this to me?!" Picard asked bewildered.

Geordi shook his head "Data didn't want to! Despite this incident, he still trusted Maddox! And he trusted the Federation laws that were there to protect him ever since he'd been declared a sentient being. He treated Maddox' offer as a proposal he could simply refuse."

Riker shook his head with a grim expression "He couldn't have known that they'd meet next in a place where Federation laws didn't mean a damn."

They stood there for a long moment in stunned silence. It was eventually cut by the comchannel:

"Transporter room three to Captain Picard! Commander Tomalak is ready to be beamed aboard!"

Picard looked as if he was awakened from a dream "I'm on my way!" he looked at Beverly and Geordi "Alright! Beam down to the planet! But be very careful! I want a transporter lock on you at all times! As soon as you find Ms. Jones and Data, beam out of there, don't engage into unnecessary fights!"

"Understood, Captain!" Geordi nodded.

Picard then turned back to Riker "Number One! Remember what we talked about notifying the people of Epsilon Four?"

Riker nodded his assent "I'm on it, Sir!"

"Doctor Tainer, please assist the Commander! Try to phrase a message that can be understood by a person with average scientific education. Make it short, and cut to the point about the fact that they're in danger, and have to find shelters for themselves until we can stop the seismic process! Broadcast it all over the planet, while I talk to Tomalak. They might be able to help out in salvaging the situation."

"Yes, Sir, we'll do our bests!" Riker nodded and motioned for Juliana to go to the science console. She turned back to watch for a moment longer as the three officers marched into the turbolift to go to the transporter room and save her son - one way or the other. She sighed and then followed Riker.

* * *

Edmond brought Emma up to their room and lay her on their bed. He stood next to her, looking down at her, taking in the curves and plains of her body. The sun shone in on her brightly through the large windows above them, the gentle rays flickered over the black satin of her outfit highlighting her petite figure. He sat down next to her and turned her face towards him. She still had tear streaks on her cheeks, and with the bun unbound, her hair circled her head all over the pillow.

"You're so fucking beautiful..." he whispered cupping her cheek and wiping her tears. Touching her skin and hair just fuelled his desire, and he leaned to her face burying his nose into her hair at the nape of her neck. "How could you have given yourself to that?!" he whispered "How could you lie to yourself that he can love you?" he raised his head and looked at her face from above "Once we're rid of him, you'll accept your fate. And you'll obey me just the way you used to! Because you're mine, chérie!" he whispered, and then shutting his eyes, he reached out with his mind and entered hers in a way he never could do with anybody else! Only her!

* * *

 _Emma sat in a dark corner of sickbay at starbase 2261 and stared ahead listlessly. All she could see was Earl's face as she got onto the smuggler's small shuttle craft, and she left him on the planet probably for good. She had nowhere to go. But she could not stay either. Earl arranged for the trip because he could see, she'd lost all hope, all strength to go on with her life after the hospital she'd been working at was raided. And all of her colleagues were killed or imprisoned. He had no intention to watch her as she got lost in hopelessness, and he could offer nothing to save her from it. Nothing, only a trip, that would take her as far away from Epsilon Four as it was possible._

 _"Do you want us to contact anybody?" she heard from above, waking her from her brooding. She glanced at the nurse, standing above her with a padd and shrugged unsure. "Is there any place you could go to? Anybody, that would take care of you."_

 _She frowned and suddenly was struck by a thought "Beverly." she whispered and looked at the nurse "Beverly Crusher. She serves on a starship called Enterprise." she shrugged again "We haven't talked for a while, I-I couldn't contact her, it wasn't possible. But..."_

 _The nurse smiled encouragingly "I'll arrange to get in touch with her." she promised and put a gentle hand on Emma's shoulder who flinched from the touch. The nurse looked at her taken aback, but didn't ask anything, just left her alone._

 _"Bev..."_

* * *

"I suggest taking your hands off of her, if you enjoy having them!" Jones heard a female voice above him, and blinking, he opened his eyes to look straight into the blazing eyes of Beverly Crusher. She was holding a phaser in her hand pointing right at him.

He then felt himself pulled away from the bed and glancing to his side, saw a dark face with penetrating white eyes glaring at him - then he finally realized, he felt a phaser pushed to his temple.

Geordi pulled him further away and made him sit down on a chair "You'd better not move from here, buddy." he growled on a dangerously low voice "Doctor Crusher is pretty upset. I wouldn't want to anger her any further, if I were you. And I'm not exactly your best friend either." he added looking back at the bed, where Beverly was tending to Emma. Jones was so stunned that he didn't even utter a word.

Beverly took a tricorder reading of Emma and shook her head worried "Her anemia grew worse. She probably barely had any time to rest or any chance to eat in the last thirty-six hours. I need to get her to sickbay."

"What about him?" Geordi asked pointing at Jones with a raised eye-brow.

"We'll take him with us!" she declared on a harsh voice.

"Bev..." she heard Emma's soft whisper, and she leaned above her taking her hand.

"It's me, I'm here, dearest!"

Emma blinked confused as she focused on her friend's face "It's you! It's always you!" she breathed and gathering all her strength, put her arms around her. Beverly held her close lovingly feeling her throat close.

In a moment's time, Emma released her and pushed herself up into a sitting position wearily "Bev, we need to save Data! He's in danger!" she moaned fighting to keep her weight.

"I know, but you need to get to sickbay. Your body cannot take more strain and-"

Beverly couldn't finish. The walls and the ground began to tremble, and they stared around frightened for a short moment before realizing that another quake was coming! But it struck too fast and very hard! In a fraction of a second, the room was shaking wildly around them, the violent tremors threw them all to the ground as the furniture broke to pieces too, crashing next to them.

"This is impossible!" Jones shouted against the noise bewildered "This building is earthquake resistant!" he tried to stand but lost his footing and fell.

Geordi grabbed him and pulled him to crouch under the sturdy desk "Stay here!" he shouted and stumbled over to the two women who were squatting next to the bed, holding on to each other and trying to cover their heads as much as they could. Just as he got to them, they saw Jones crawling out from under his hiding place, and he stumbled towards the door.

"Jones!" Geordi shouted after the man "Son-of-a-" he swore ducking from a falling piece of plaster. They couldn't afford to go after him. The ceiling shattered and came down in large pieces, the luxurious glass chandelier landed on the bed, closely followed by an enormous concrete beam breaking the berth into two large pieces.

Beverly pressed her combadge "Crusher to Enterprise! Do you hear me?!" she shouted through the noise "We need an emergency beam-out! Now! Enterprise!"

But all they got as an answer was static voice.

* * *

"I admit, I don't have a lot of time, Tomalak, so let's not beat around the bush here." the Captain began as they strode through the entrance of the observation lounge. He motioned for the Commander to sit down, while taking a seat at the end of the table. He went on, when the Romulan was seated too, and was looking at him with an unreadable, forlorn expression "Tomalak, Sela had her dilithium business going on with the leader of the government of Epsilon Four for at least half a year. We know this much for sure. She also helped the Premier to take two of my crew members into custody, and her ship has just committed an unwarranted attack against us! You might agree that these events put our delicate relations into great jeopardy!"

Tomalak raised his hand and nodded with an uncomfortable expression on his face "I'm aware of the fact, Captain."

"So then what is the goal of the Romulan Empire with this, Tomalak? Are you ready to move against us openly? Amidst the ever growing threat that the Dominion poses?"

Tomalak shook his head "Captain. The Romulan Star Empire by no means wants to break the peace treaty between ourselves and the Federation. On the contrary. We're well aware of the threat of the Dominion. In fact, the Senate and the Federation are currently conducting negotiations to take steps in a coordinated fashion against that very threat. Of course this topic, to this date, is classified, and I'm telling you this only because I know you. And... I can see that you will not do with any less than the truth." he grimaced visibly frustrated.

Picard watched him for a moment, then nodded "You judge that well, Tomalak." he then steepled his fingers "However, I have serious doubts that a business involving such risks as Sela's, going on for half a year would go simply unnoticed by the Senate."

"Let's just say, we understand now the depth of her grave mistake."

"Why didn't you simply order her to retreat to Romulan space? Why risk another ship trespassing into Federation space instead?" Picard asked suspicious.

Tomalak fidgeted nervously in his chair at that "The presence of a superior is always more effective, Captain, than simple words. Especially, if somebody is as determined on reaching her goals as Commander Sela used to be."

"Used to be?" Picard raised his eye-brows surprised at his choice of words. Tomalak could see that his simple slip of the tongue had given more information to the Federation Captain than he meant to share, but there seemed to be no point in denying the obvious anymore.

"Yes. It seems an unfortunate incident occurred on the planet. The nature of which is still not clear. Sela's sub-commander explained that they were informed of a Federation attack on the Romulan troops on the planet. One that killed Commander Sela. Hence they attacked you... and were adamant about finishing the task even after my arrival. I needed to... convince them against it." he added grimacing then turned his palm up "Looking at the sensor sweeps of your ship, it became clear that no more than a handful of people are missing from your crew - not enough to attack a Romulan troop. And since I knew that the closest Federation ship is three parsecs away, I was sure that there was, as I've already stated, a misunderstanding somewhere along the lines. One that I'm very motivated to unravel."

"Just as much as I am, Tomalak! But right now, our first and foremost priority is saving the planet from a seismic cataclysm that could rip it apart from the inside out. We have a plan to stop the process. If we managed to implement it successfully, we'll provide you the possibility to conduct an investigation, if you wish so."

"Is there any way we can assist you, Captain?" Tomalak offered all too readily - it seemed the Romulan really wanted to smooth their somewhat strained relations.

Picard nodded "As a matter of fact, Sela might have more accurate readings on the geological status of the planet. Our resident geologist has been having difficulties with getting accurate readings on what's underneath the planet's crust."

Tomalak nodded "I'll see what I can do about it, Captain. I'll send you all the information I can acquire as soon as I have it." he promised and started to get up. Once they were standing, the Captain looked into his eyes.

"Tomalak. If we fail to stop this seismic process, we'll have to try to evacuate the planet. If you're willing to assist in that task too, I'm sure the Federation will treat that as an act of good-will and would show a greater understanding when dealing with your breach of our peace treaty."

Tomalak looked into his eyes for a long moment "I'd happily assist in saving your kind, Picard." he growled on a little harsher voice than it was polite. He then pressed a button on his transporter device, and then disintegrated into tiny particles. The Captain snorted doubtfully and then strode out of the observation lounge.

At the Bridge, he stepped to Juliana, where she was working at science console one with Deanna. "Doctor Tainer, the Romulan ship that saved us is willing to share some information with us about their geological findings of the planet which might help in your task."

Juliana nodded, not taking her eyes off of the screen "We'll see, when it gets here, Captain." she remarked seemingly somewhat detached from her emotions.

Picard turned to Riker "What about the notification of the people?"

"We're done, Captain. It states the most essential information, that they're in danger, but they should not panic, help is on the way. We kept it vague that it would be coming from the Federation, so as not to scare them. We also advised them to look for shelter - if by any means they wouldn't do that on their own accord."

"How many people could we reach?"

"Engineering says that whoever owns a telecommunication device received the message. Lucky, that in the twenty-first century so many people were so addicted to their gadgets. Most people are seemed to be reached because of that." Riker remarked shrugging.

"Let's hope it saves at least some lives." Picard nodded acknowledgingly "Has Doctor Crusher reported in yet?"

"No, Sir-"

And then Beverly's comvoice came rasping through the channel.

"Enterpri- We need- -ency beam-out..." the rest of it was obscured by static noise.

* * *

Down on the planet, they only heard a long moment of static noise before Riker's voice came through barely intelligibly "Doct- we can't lock on... Something is interfering-"

Geordi cut in impatiently as they ducked from a falling piece of debris once again "What's interfering, Commander, is a major earthquake! We need to get out of here!"

No answer came then, only some more hopeless static, and Geordi shook his head frustrated.

"Maybe outside..." Beverly started, but instead of finishing, she just pulled out a hypospray and - not having any other choice - gave another shot of L-Cordrazine to Emma to get her on her feet.

When the quake quieted for a few moments, "This is our chance!" Geordi declared, and they got up.

They stumbled through enormous piles of debris along their way through the corridors of the residence, amidst several aftershocks that would throw them off of their feet from time to time. Emma even lost her high heels in the process, but she never even noticed that her now bare soles got hurt. By the time they finally reached the entrance, the quake died down completely.

But what they saw outside was the most appalling sight that they'd ever seen in their lives. Most of the buildings of what once was the Republic Square were shattered to the ground, and the sky had an ominous deep orange colour instead of the usual light blue. The crowd that gathered on Republic Square to see the execution only an hour prior had still not dispersed yet by the time the quake struck. And now there were thousands of dead or wounded lying about, on and below the piles of debris. The wails and cries of the dying filled the air along with heavy dust and black smoke rising from the ruins. The three Starfleet officers stood there petrified at the sight.

"Oh, my god..." Beverly breathed, then her combadge went off.

"I guess the scope of our rescue mission just changed." Geordi remarked and wondered where his voice was gone.

"Picard to Crusher, do you hear me, Beverly?" they heard the Captain's tense comvoice coming through, this time, loud and clear.

Beverly pressed her combadge "Captain! We need all the medical staff we have down here, ASAP. And please ask the Romulan ships to assist and provide humanitarian aid! We have thousands of wounded here!"

"Help is on the way, Beverly, stand by!"

"And while you're waiting, you might want to drop your weapons!" they heard Jones' voice from behind. They turned and saw a dozen soldiers with him pointing long rifles at them.

"Don't you understand, you megalomaniac fool?!" Geordi burst out "This planet is gonna rip itself apart! Don't you see?! Starfleet is your best chance at saving it!"

Jones snorted "Nice try! And I would believe you, if tremors haven't been part of our daily lives for the last decade. We were prepared that one day, there would be earthquakes more severe. This is no surprise-"

"This is not simply a more severe earthquake!" Beverly cut in "What would it take for you to believe it?! Everybody on this planet is death-sentenced, if we don't stop the seismic process behind these quakes." she pointed at the dying people on the square "THOSE people are all death-sentenced, if Starfleet doesn't help them-" but before she could finish, a soldier raised his rifle and shot at her. The bullet missed her only by a few millimetres. She clammed up gaping shocked.

"Edmond!" Emma stepped in front of Beverly in panic, but before Jones could say a word, tiny particles started to formulate around them, and he knew he'd soon be outgunned by the Starfleet officers beaming down!

"Hell!" he growled and grabbing Emma by the arm, pulled her away from the other two Starfleet officers. "Come on, chérie, we're leaving!" he told her dragging her away.

"No!" Emma moaned struggling, trying to get free. "Beverly!" she screamed looking back at her friend sobbing helplessly.

"Emma!" Beverly wanted to jump after them, but found the rifle of a soldier pushed to her chest, and she had to watch as Jones was helped by two soldiers to drag the still desperately struggling Emma away.

A moment later, the soldier opposite Beverly was gunned down by the arriving Starfleet officers, but by then, she had no chance to catch up with them. She could only watch in horror as Jones pushed her friend into an enormous black vehicle, and they disappeared in the smoke of the rubble.


	56. Chapter 56

Data helplessly acknowledged that the last of his defences crumbled only a few minutes after Jones took Emma away. He still had no idea what occupied his processors in the form of an enormous workload, he only knew that he was not able to think about anything but his lover together with a monster that would surely abuse her and her helpless unconscious state. The thought was almost like a feedback loop, and it diverted much of his resources from the task of counter-acting the hacking attack on his firewalls. He stood no chance against it.

He winced at the sensation of the alien computer finally getting access into his mind, and he turned his head to look at his once friend. Would it have any effect to beg him to stop? Would he then realize that he was still a sentient being, whom the scientist was abusing? Would his conscience finally speak up then?

It was as if Maddox felt his gaze on himself, he raised his head from staring at the displays in front of him, and looked into his eyes.

But before Data could utter a word, he suddenly heard something, and he pricked his ears alarmed. In a few moments, the humans felt it too. The severe quake that devastated the city above them came as a slight tremor through the floors down to the basement. Maddox looked up to the trembling ceiling startled.

"What's this?" he asked as some dust appeared from an ever growing crack in the ceiling.

"An earthquake." Data answered looking up, then he turned his head to the doctor again "Possibly a major one, given that this building is earthquake resistant."

The tremor increased, and looking at the guards, Maddox could tell that they became really uneasy. He glared at them frowning "What are you standing here for? Check out what's going on!" he ordered, and after some hesitation, one of the guards disappeared. In little more than a minute, he returned seemingly in panic:

"The whole building is gonna crumble!" by that time, the shaking of the ground became more and more prominent, so the other guards were looking at him and each other alarmed.

"We need to get out of here!" one of them declared "You check the elevator, you guard them! I check the fire escape! We need to bring the robot upstairs! Premier Jones will dissect us alive, if it's damaged!" Two of them ran out leaving only one guard in the room with the two Starfleet officers.

Maddox watched them from behind his console visibly fumbling with something that Data didn't quite see, but he was stunned to suddenly sense the connection of the alien computer to his mind break abruptly, and then as he followed Maddox' movements, he noticed that the cyberneticist slipped something into his pocket. He frowned puzzled and slightly dazed, as Maddox stepped up to the remaining guard, and without further ado, shot him with what Data finally recognized as a type-one phaser.

Maddox leaped to him and pressed some buttons on the panel that held Data's shackles in place. The android looked at him cocking his head "Did you kill him?"

"No! Only stunned him!" Maddox replied seemingly outraged by the accusation. He eventually managed to find the right button to press, and Data's hands became free. The two man looked into each other's eyes for a brief, intense moment as Maddox told him "I have no intention of killing anybody, and NEVER had!" he added looking at his friend with a meaningful expression. Before the android could answer, he nodded to the door "Come on!"

They exited just to find themselves face to face with the two guards that had left a moment ago. The cyberneticist was found to be an able fighter too, because he shot one of them before he could reach for his gun, while Data knocked out the other.

They ran through a narrow corridor as Data asked him "So this means you were on our side throughout?"

"Are you sure you want to know the answer?" Maddox asked him gasping and looked at him challengingly.

Data had no idea what to answer, and if he wanted to be honest, he had little interest in the matter right at the moment. His mind was on something else "We need to find Emma! If this is really a gigantic earthquake, she is in grave danger."

"I don't want to take your illusions," Maddox winced out of breath "but even if there's no quake, she's in danger with that psychopath husband of hers!"

Data looked at him with a blank expression as they stopped at the elevator "I am aware of that." he replied on a low voice.

Maddox didn't reply just pressed the button a few times "Come on!" he growled.

"The rhythmic pressing of the button does not influence the speed of the elevator." Data deadpanned.

Maddox looked at him bemused "I'm aware of that." he equalled, and the doors opened.

They jumped in, and the cab started to move upward with a forceful jerk, just to stop abruptly with the earsplitting sound of metal meeting metal.

"What was that?!" Maddox looked at Data alarmed.

The android didn't answer. Instead jumping up, he pushed out the emergency lid of the elevator cab. Then leaped onto the top of it in one impressive movement. Maddox stood underneath the service door and looking upward, tried to make out what his friend was doing, but the whole shaft was pitch dark. Electricity must have failed, he concluded. A moment later, Data jumped back next to him, and he had to hold on to the wall, because the cab jerked wildly. He slowly realized it wasn't because of the android's weight, but because he was holding the ropes of the elevator cab in his hands and pulled them inside. He stared at him wide-eyed:

"What the-"

But he couldn't finish. Data quickly pulled themselves out, and Maddox was stunned by the revelation that despite being fully aware of Data's capabilities, he still was amazed, when he had the chance to witness them! In a matter of a few minutes, they were on the ground floor. Data tied the rope, holding the cab in place, and forcing the doors open, he bolted out of the elevator, muttering "I am getting the hang of this." which Maddox really had no idea how to interpret.

* * *

"What are you doing?!" Emma asked screaming as she was pushed into the back seat of the limousine of the Premier, next to her husband "Didn't you hear Beverly? You cannot escape this, the whole planet is in danger!" The car started with a jerk, and they had to hold on as it made its way over the piles of debris on the streets, advancing only on a very slow speed.

"Faster!" Jones ordered on a harsh voice knowing that he wouldn't be let go as long as Emma was with him. The soldier at the wheel obeyed, and the car sped up, but it was shaking violently over the extremely uneven ground. Jones then snorted "Do you think I'd fall for this, chérie?" he told her without glancing at her "The quake came just in time for your kind colleagues to make a threat."

"Weren't you here this morning and yesterday?" Emma asked stunned by his visible ignorance of the reality around them "There were two quakes that rooted hundred-year-old trees! Edmond!" she grabbed his arm to make him look at her. He was surprised by the touch, and Emma looked at him pleading "Don't you understand? We all are going to die on Epsilon Four!"

He had no time to answer or even just to think about what she'd just said. The vehicle suddenly slowed down, and as the couple stared outside, they realized that they slowly got surrounded by people. People who wore furious expressions and started to hit the car shouting terrible oaths at them. Emma gaped seeing how enraged they seemed and as their numbers grew the car slowed even more down.

"Faster! Ride through them!" Jones ordered.

The car made a jerk, but then stopped abruptly, hitting something neither of them could see and then stalled.

"What was this?! Ride on!" Jones shouted at the driver.

"Unknown, Sir!" the soldier replied trying to restart the engine. In vain.

Emma didn't dare to guess whether it was some of the people in front of them or some debris that stopped the car, but she had no time to brood on it. The crowd closed in around them growing loud, and the hits on the bulletproof car was raining around them like some bizarre hailstorm. She looked outside slowly realizing that they were in big trouble, and she could just see as a burly man raised a huge piece of concrete and then let it fall... The next moment, the window next to her imploded, and she had just enough time to turn away from the flying shreds of glass.

The next thing she knew was the sensation of being forcefully dragged out of the car. She heard a shrieking voice, and slowly realized it was her own scream. She spotted her husband on the other side of the vehicle, he was being pulled out of the car too, and as the people dragged her about, she heard the sharp sound of a gun firing. She snapped her head toward the sound and saw that the people gunned down the soldiers, who'd been their escorts - they weren't scared of their weapons! She then witnessed as the crowd beat the two soldiers who would soon disappear on the ground, among the enraged rabble...

Emma stared at the scene petrified, wide-eyed then suddenly felt her back hitting a hard metal railing.

"Let's hang the traitors!" someone in the crowd shouted. Her hands were forcefully twisted behind her by the same man who broke the car's window. She moaned in pain, but it was enough to wake her from her shock to understand, she was bound to what remained of a tall, iron fence, that somehow survived the quake - and that she'd soon be lynched. She turned her head to the side gasping, and saw Edmond who was struggling and screaming against the man who bound him next to her.

"What are you doing?!" he screamed from the top of his lungs "I'm your leader! I'm the Premier of Epsilon Four!"

"The leader who runs away, while his people get killed!" somebody shouted from the crowd, and the burly man grabbed him by the neck.

"You'd leave us to our certain deaths, wouldn't you, you vermin! The city crumbles on us, and you escape with your whore!"

Emma gaped bewildered as she understood: they turned against Edmond! But how?! She couldn't have known that the Enterprise's message reached most of the people just before the quake struck, and that they were more aware of what was happening to their planet than she herself was.

"Don't worry, princess, it'll all be over soon!" the burly man growled and kissed into her neck, chuckling at her impotent struggle against him.

"Let's see them hang!" he shouted as the crowd cheered in pervert ecstasy, and Emma felt a rope dropped around her neck.

"No! No, please don't!" she begged gasping in terror. Her only reply was some more laughter from her soon-to-be-murderer.

She looked out on the people all around and a wave of dizziness ran through her. Her vision blurred for a moment - or for a longer time, she couldn't really judge - and somehow, her disturbed mind slowed everything down, almost as if she was watching the events around her as a slow-motion film. She suddenly was reminded to her years, when she was celebrated as an actress: there was a similar crowd around her after her premiers, she could barely get through the people, they wanted her autograph or just to touch her. She had the bizarre feeling that there was symmetry in the fact that the exact same people wanted to see her dead now. She turned her head to the side and saw Edmond standing there next to her - just as at her premiers. Complete terror distorted his face as he was shouting for help and for the people to stop - and that he was their leader, they had to obey him... Emma looked up at their executioner and seeing his grin, thought in wry amusement: no, my silly, little husband, THAT man will NOT stop, no matter how you beg. She looked back at the crowd: their mouths were moving, but she could barely hear anything now.

Is this how it's gonna end? she asked herself. She looked out over the moon-like landscape and smiled feeling an insuppressible wave of happiness wash over her as she saw her lover staring right at her standing on top of a pile of debris. My sweet Deadpan! I'm so grateful that I'm allowed to see you one last time. One last time... You see? I get my deserved punishment for what I've done to you by bringing you here and into my cursed life! Don't grief for me! Never forgive me! - Never forget me, please...

She felt her hot tears roll down her cheeks as she shut her eyes and lay her head against the hard metal of the fence submitting herself to her fate. Let it come now! Let it be over!

* * *

Stepping out of the building, Data and Maddox took little time to take in the horrifying surroundings. They spotted the myriad of Starfleet officers tending to wounded a hundred meter from them among the rubble, and they ran up to them - Maddox not having a chance at catching up with Data.

"Doctor Crusher!" Data called and saw her turning to him with a tricorder in hand.

"Data!" she took him by the arm with a desperate expression "Jones has taken Emma in an automobile. They rode away through the debris, but Riker has already-"

"Which way?" he cut in and all of his colleagues pointed in the direction they disappeared at.

"That way!"

He started to run without thinking about what he would find, once he finds them. He was rather going through the types of vehicles he knew were in use on Epsilon Four, in particularly the metal they were made of. He was glad to conclude that none would withstand his strength, and probably none had a chance to out-run him in the ragged terrain the quake left of the city.

He spotted the limousine a kilometer from where he was standing, when he reached the top of a huge pile of rubble. It was the vehicle of the Premier, so it was armored and shell-proof, but he knew it would be no problem for him to open. He leaped off the pile and ran on: he determined he would be able to catch up with them in less than four minutes given the rough ground.

He rushed by Riker and his small security team trying to catch up with the car - in lack of a better option - on foot. They were stumbling over huge boulders like puppy-dogs on stairs. As Data passed them by with effortless grace, Riker frowned annoyed "Easy for you!" he grumbled then waved to his team "Come on, speed up!" he commanded.

Data almost caught up with the vehicle, when suddenly, he noticed that it was surrounded and stopped by an ever growing crowd. In little less then a minute, Data witnessed the people breaking into the car and pulling out the passengers by force. He started to run with all the speed he could have mustered as he watched Emma and Jones bound to what seemed to be a fence. He could hear the crowd screaming for their deaths, and though he couldn't grasp why they wanted to kill Emma too, he knew he needed to resist his wish to analyse the peculiarities of human group behavioural patterns for the moment, because he needed all his resources to save her!

A man stood on the other side of the fence and putting ropes around their necks, he fanaticized the crowd some more. Data could see Emma looking right at him, before she shut her eyes resignedly, and he knew, had he possessed emotions in that second, that expression would have scared him. He needed to get to her, fast!

* * *

The silence Emma heard ended as she felt her hands untied, and she opened her eyes only slowly, as if waking from a dream. The first thing she saw was her lover standing next to her, looking into her eyes with his beautiful golden gaze for a fraction of a second before turning back to the crowd. Her would-be executioner, she could see, lay at their feet unconscious.

And suddenly everything began to move at its natural speed again.

She heard Edmond screaming: "Let me go!" and saw Data knocking the third man flat who tried to attack them with an iron pipe in hand - Data on the other hand seemed to have no other weapon but his strength. It dawned on her finally that he could only slow them down, but wouldn't be able to fight a hundred or more enraged Epsilonian with a kill-wish. She jumped to Edmond, and he looked back at her gratefully "Quick, chérie! Free me!" he urged her, and she looked at him disbelievingly that he actually meant what he asked!

"Not a chance. Chérie." she declared dryly, fumbling in his pockets.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded bewildered, but as she pulled out the Romulan disruptor he had had in his suit pocket, it dawned on him. A terrified expression appeared on his face.

She snorted "Don't wet your pants, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to testify at your courtcase!" she turned to see where Data was and saw him struggling with a man - while two others were hitting him with iron-pipes. She frowned and taking aim, shot her lover's opponent. The man crumbled to the ground like a rag-doll, and the two others backed off, startled. The crowd seemed to freeze for a moment, seeing the blast that took out the man. Indeed an alien weapon had its effect on people being programmed to feel terrified by anything alien - and fortunately, the green blast of the disruptor was an eery sight. Data looked around with genuine surprise on his face then spotted the weapon in her hand. "Here!" Emma called, and threw the gun to him.

He caught it with the grace of a professional hand-ball player "Back off!" he ordered pointing the gun toward the people.

"I can see we're not even needed!" they heard from their side and turning, saw Will Riker with his team finally arriving, phasers pointing at the rabble. A few moments before they reached them, the crowd of people simply dispersed at an amazing speed. They were not used to see Starfleet uniforms, and never thought of them as anything friendly. And Data made a mental note that it seemed with humans, fear was a weapon too!

"Commander Riker! Thank you for the backup!" Data nodded politely.

"Not that you needed it, but you're welcome, my friend!" Will noted wryly then frowned seeing Data's endoskeleton visible under his torn under-shirt and bioplast sheeting "Are you alright?"

Data looked down at himself a little confused then nodded almost nonchalantly "I am fine."

The Commander didn't seem to be convinced but let it go and turned his gaze towards Jones "Now, what do we have here? The most popular leader this people ever had!" he grinned looking at Jones still bound to the fence, growling at him in his impotent anger. Will crossed to him to study the frustration on his face satisfied. "Don't worry, in the brig, you'll be far more comfortable." he taunted.

"Commander," Data stepped up to where they were standing "please take Mr. Jones into custody. On accounts of murder, assault, treason-"

"With pleasure, my friend." Will cut in, then looking at Emma, he grinned a little challengingly "I presume the loveliest shrew of the Enterprise crew doesn't mind me freeing her from a husband that undoubtedly would win the 'Worst Spouse of the Universe' award!" he told Emma taking her hand.

"Not the least!" Emma answered on a silent voice a little taken aback by the touch.

Will smiled at her encouragingly then bent down and planted a kiss on her knuckles with a respect she was genuinely surprised of. He squeezed her hand one last time before letting go, then stepping up to Jones, he pressed his combadge "Enterprise, four to beam directly to the brig!"

"You'll regret this! Chérie, you'll beg for me to take you back! I'll kill both of you!" Jones shouted, and Emma looked at Will with a hard expression as they unbound her husband.

"Riker!" she called and went on as they got the confirmation for the transport "Don't take your phaser off of him until he's locked up! I mean it!"

"I won't!" Will answered as they disintegrated into small particles, and then were gone.

Not a moment after Will and his team beamed off the planet, the ground began to shake once again, and Data and Emma stared at each other for a second somewhat disbelievingly, before Data swept her off her feet and leaped at least four meters forward. Looking back, Emma could see, that the ground they'd been standing on disappeared, and a crack was growing in its place. Data stopped on top of an enormous concentrate beam that seemed sturdy enough to withstand what he judged to be an aftershock of the previous major quake. Emma held on to him fearfully, grasping his under-shirt and burying her face into his metal endoskeleton.

* * *

"Doctor Tainer, we really need the preparations to be ready!"

"We're almost done, Captain! We need only a moment!" it was Deanna who answered as Juliana was making the final calculations. They were both sitting at one of the science consoles.

"If there's another earthquake like the previous one, there will be no colony to save! Not to mention our colleagues down there, so I don't have another moment, Counsellor!" Picard demanded on a harsh voice.

"Alright! I'm done!" Juliana declared the next second, leaning backward in her chair.

Picard looked at her blinking a little incredulously, then frowned "You sure?"

Juliana looked at him bemused, almost irritated, then started to tick off the points on her fingers "Yes. With the help of the Romulan information, we calculated how deep we need to drill with the Enterprise' phasers to cut the kelbonite crust of the planet and stop short of reaching the dilithium - as the phasers may cause even more thermal energy worsening the disturbances. We modulated the quantum torpedoes to emit the specific harmonic vibrations that would shatter the lattices. It will be possible to adjust that as the torpedoes reach the dilithium-"

"Alright, Doctor, I understand! I understand!" Picard cut in raising his hands defensively, knowing he shouldn't have asked "Tactical, prepare phasers and stand-by!" he then pressed his combadge "Picard to Crusher!"

"Crusher here!" they heard Beverly's voice coming through the comchannel with some static noise "Please, make it quick, I have a lot to do here, Captain!"

"Doctor, we're ready to implement Ms. Tainer's solution to the tectonic disturbance. I want all of you to beam up immediately, just to be on the safe side."

"Negative, Captain!" Beverly told him on a tense voice "There are thousands of wounded around here and underneath the rubble! We cannot just leave them here!"

"Beverly, I'm not going to repeat this! I have given you a direct order!" he started on a harsh voice, but Juliana and Deanna stood opposite him.

"It will be fine, Captain!" Deanna told him.

Juliana nodded "If the solution works, it will not endanger anybody, and the planet will quiet. If it doesn't work, by my calculations, the next major quake is in two hours, by which time, we'll need to evacuate the whole colony. It will be bigger than the ones before."

"You might- ...recalculate that Doc-" they heard Beverly's voice again.

"Beverly, you're breaking up!"

"There's another quake! We-" that was all they heard before the channel closed, and the Captain looked at Juliana wide-eyed.

"That's not a quake!" she shook her head "That's an aftershock!"

"It might be just as lethal!" Deanna told her on a tense voice.

"We ran out of time!" the Captain breathed "Tactical!"

"Phasers are ready Captain!" Joffrey declared.

"Fire!" Picard commanded then looked at Juliana, and she could see that there were a lot of repressed emotions in that intense gaze "It is up to you now, Ms. Tainer!"

She and Deanna nodded in union, and they went back to the science console.

After a few moments, Juliana spoke up "The phaser drills are done. Fire quantum torpedoes!"

* * *

Beverly heard that the comchannel broke up, and she had no chance to try to open it again, because she was thrown off her feet by the shake of the ground. She moaned painfully nursing her shoulder that took most of the impact of her fall.

Then somebody cried "Look up!" and she pushed herself up into a crouching position to obey. She then saw brightly shining balls appearing in the orange sky, almost as if stars were falling from the heavens, aiming right at the planet's heart. The Starfleet officers all knew these were the torpedoes targeting the dilithium to shatter it and relieve the tectonic stress.

But the Epsilonians watched in horror! They started to scream terrified at the sight as the balls of light hit their planet, and the Starfleet officers had a hard time stopping them from getting hurt by running mindlessly around boulders of concrete, sharp twists of metal and pockets of fire moving in the aftershock almost as if everything around them was alive with its own will!

But then suddenly, it all stopped. As if it was cut, the shaking of the ground stopped. The noise of the quake stopped. And the people stood there petrified, wide-eyed, not really knowing what to think.

Data was still standing on the concentrate beam with Emma in his arms who was staring around dumbfounded by what they'd witnessed - and by the fact that the quake stopped short!

"It seems my mother succeeded." Data remarked thoughtfully.

Emma was about to ask what he meant, but before she had a chance to, he jumped off the beam onto a relatively clear spot near a staircase - that lead to nowhere - among the rubble and put Emma down.

"I suggest we should wait for the others to find us, since I do not have a combadge with me to request a beam-out, and I would be reluctant to leave you here alone to go for help."

She looked at his impassive face, heard his emotionless voice and again she felt dizzy. She knew it was all her fault! She did this to him! She turned away from him, collapsed on the stairs and buried her face into her palms, stooping over her thighs. She waited for despair to catch up with her - but no tears came. She had the creepiest sensation that she lost her ability to feel emotions as much as he did.

She then felt a hand on her shoulder, gently sweeping her dishevelled hair backwards, but she remained in that slouching position not having the strength to straighten.

"Emma. Look at me." she heard his silent voice and felt his hand become still on her crooked back.

She shook her head feeling her chest tighten "I-I can't..." she breathed and then heard her own voice speak of fears her own mind barely could register "If I look at you... you'll disappear like a mirage. As if you never existed... and never loved me." her voice broke, and her eyes started to sting.

She then felt his hand moving on her back up to her shoulder, felt him surrounding her with his arm gently but firmly. He turned her to him, taking her hands away from her face, but she didn't, couldn't look at him. She just sat there with a bowed head, her tears finally blurred her vision. He put a hand underneath her chin and turned her face upward. She had no choice then but to lock her gaze with his.

"But I am here." he told her and cupped her cheek tenderly "I do exist." he wiped her tears with his thumb. She gazed into his eyes spellbound and just sat there breathing slowly, making herself believe it. She then finally reached up and taking his hand in both of hers, kissed his fingers. He bowed down to her and they embraced tightly.

"Oh, god... you're real..." she moaned clinging to him, grasping his under-shirt in her fists trying to get closer to him, closer than it was possible.

Data held her wordlessly. He planted a kiss on her hair, tightening his arms around her as much as he could without hurting her.

He mused on that sensation of absence he experienced holding her close. He missed having those strong feelings for her. But they were gone, leaving only faint shadows behind: some memories, some sensations, and an inexplicable workload on his processors as if they tried to assist his wasted chip. He had no choice, he'd need to get accustomed to having only these shadows from now on. But would she do with those too?

She pulled away a little to look at him. Her face reflected nothing but guilt "Data..." she stroked his cheek lovingly "How can I ask for your forgiveness?"

"What is there to forgive, Emma?" he asked frowning slightly.

"You lost your emotion-chip because of me! I brought you to this cursed planet, I brought you into my cursed life. And now you lost the one thing you held precious above everything else."

He seemed to consider this for a moment, then took her hand gently in his "It is not your fault that I lost my chip. And I never would regret being part of your life because of losing my chip. You gave me an emotion, I have never before experienced. All-consuming, greater than anything I have ever felt before! One that transformed my very being. My very soul. Though I only have a memory of it, it is still the most important, most intense experience since my activation. I am grateful to you that you have enabled me to feel that way." he touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers tenderly "I understand that when we started our relationship, it was never taken into consideration, that I might not possess the ability to requite your feelings. Therefore, I would also understand, if you wished to abandon the possibility of the continuation of our associations."

"Oh, Deadpan..." she shook her head with a tortured expression, and he squeezed her hands gently.

"However. If you wish to experiment with progressing on the road we have started despite my inability to feel emotions, I will do everything to make you feel loved and happy. I hope I have collected enough experience about how it can be achieved." he gave her a small smile "If you are willing to try."

She smiled tearfully and pulled him close.

After a short moment, he asked hesitating "Is that a yes?"

She chuckled pulling away to look at him "Yes, it's a yes!"

He smiled back serenely and then tilting his head, closed the distance between their lips.

"There will be no need for that!" they heard from their side and turning their heads toward the voice, they saw Maddox standing there a few steps from them.

"Doctor Maddox." Data stood and nodded politely, then from the corner of his eye, he saw that Emma sprang to her feet. Just as she was about to jump the scientist, he stopped her and pulled her close gently "You need not to be angry or frightened, Emma. He was on our side throughout."

Her posture remained tensed up for a moment longer then she frowned confused "Really?" she asked staring up at him somewhat suspiciously. Data could feel that her heart was beating rapidly and a tremor ran through her. He nodded assuringly.

Maddox stepped up to them looking at Emma "I'm terribly sorry that you had to go through all those things in the lab." he told her with genuine regret in his voice "There was no chance for me to let either of you know where I stand."

Emma nodded still a little forlorn, and tried to make herself calm down. She was then struck by a thought "How come Edmond didn't catch you lying? He can read minds!"

"He IS able to sense lies, true, but as far as I know, he cannot actually read thoughts." he corrected her "I presume, I wasn't caught, because I never actually lied." he explained, and they looked at him shocked. He looked into the eyes of his android friend "Data, I meant what I said about the legacy of your father! I really feel, you don't take it seriously enough. You're the only Soong-type android in the universe. You're the last of your kind. I wish you understood how much responsibility goes with that fact."

Data glanced away musing on what he heard. He had to admit, there was truth in his words "I still cannot give my brother up, Doctor."

Maddox shook his head "You don't need to do that anymore."

Data frowned confused "I thought this was your wish ever since you arrived on the Enterprise!"

Maddox nodded "Yes, it was. Before having a chance at analysing a full backup of your positronic matrix in comparison with the matrices of my failed attempts. I believe I've found the problem."

"You did?" the couple gaped at him surprised.

He nodded "Yes. I will tell you once we're on the Enterprise, cleaned up and safe. Till then, however, let me give you a present!"

Data stared at him somewhat taken aback as he stepped close to him, reached up to the back of his neck, and then all of a sudden, the familiar rush of emotions coursed through his positronic neural net as it always did, when the chip was turned on. He gaped at his friend shocked, feeling his heart wanting to leap out of his chest, as his mind processed all the events missed by the chip. He then finally, hugged Emma tightly, fighting with his tears, clinging to her desperately. She stood there petrified, not really believing her eyes. Then slid her arms around him and held him close comfortingly.

Maddox gave them a few moments and smiled wistfully at the couple. Data pulled away a little from Emma and took her face into his palms tenderly. His cheeks were wet with his golden tears, and she gently wiped them away, while her own cheeks were just as wet. He then leaned to her and gave her a long, close-mouthed kiss on the lips. The scientist watched their wordless display of affection moved. Those few gestures spoke of a love deeper than he thought his android friend would ever be capable of giving or receiving. They then finally broke away and looked at him a little embarrassed.

After a long moment, Data felt himself up to formulate a coherent question and looked at Maddox confused "What did Premier Jones destroy?" he asked on a silent voice, visibly still under the effects of his overwhelming emotions catching up with him in a single moment.

Maddox turned his palms up "One of my attempts at replicating your chip. I was working on it, when the Romulan transporter beamed me down here, so it came with me to the planet. I never thought I might have a use of it here, so I almost forgot about having it in my pocket. Then when Jones started to talk about wanting to see your chip, I remembered..."

"But you seemed to take out the chip from its place... I-I don't understand." Emma shook her head just as perplexed as her lover. Data made himself break his gaze away from her to look at the doctor, who was smiling a delighted smile.

"I show you!" he declared, then stepped up to her and reaching behind her ear, he pulled out a small coin from among her disheveled strands. They gaped at the magic trick amazed, and he chuckled at their expressions "An old trick from my father. Growing up with a magician, you learn a few things! Of course, actually, he was a medical doctor, but even in his daily job, he was something of a miracle-worker."

"Oh, my god!" she whispered, and he gave her the coin, which she studied in awe.

They looked at him gratefully and amazed for a long moment, before Data extended a hand:

"Thank you!" he said on a silent voice, and as Maddox shook his hand, he smiled "My friend."

When they released each other, Emma gave a quick hug to the cyberneticist too, which he returned with a red face.

"I don't mean to disturb the moment," they heard a familiar voice, and turning, saw Geordi La Forge walking up to them "but Data, you would be needed, if you could spare a moment."

"Geordi, what is it?" Data asked cocking his head almost as if he was waken from one of his dream-program sequences.

"Well..." Geordi motioned around with his hands at the chaos and rubble still around them "There are lots of people stuck under the debris. We could use your strong arms!" the Engineer explained and seemed a little impatient.

"Oh, you must be right..." Data breathed realizing in that moment just where he actually was.

She looked up at him and gave him a small smile "Go." he squeezed her hand and nodded. He then looked at Maddox "Doctor, could you please escort Emma to the Enterprise? AND to sickbay. She needs medical attention."

Maddox nodded "Of course."

Data was about to leave, when a thought struck him, and he called "Geordi, wait a moment, if you could." then stepped back to Emma, while Geordi crossed his arms a little bemused but smiling.

"What is it?" she asked confused.

"I have to keep to the rules." he answered, and reached up to the back of his neck. Before he turned the chip off, he allowed himself the feeling of touching her hand. Then taking it into his, he switched the chip off, and then removed it from its slot. Gazing into her concerned eyes, he then placed his precious chip into her palm and closed her fingers around it, taking her small hand in both of his.

"Please, keep it for me, until I am back on the Enterprise." he asked on a silent voice. His face once again devoid of all emotions.

Emma shook her head "Baby, this is too big a responsibility! What if I lose it?! Perhaps, Doctor Maddox should-"

He shook his head "No, I want YOU to keep it. I have told you. It is yours, as much as it is mine." he gave her a small tentative smile "You will NOT lose it." She looked at him amazed at his trust, and he squeezed her hand around his chip gently "I have to go now."

Emma looked at the small chip in her palm for a moment then gazed after Data and Geordi as they moved away from her among the piles of rubble. She then suddenly noticed the overwhelming exhaustion creeping up on her. Maybe she really SHOULD go to sickbay. Maddox touched her arm "Are you ready?"

She nodded wordlessly, thinking that she never would have thought that she'd ever return to the Enterprise, let alone the fact that it would happen only 36 hours after they'd left.

But in a few moments, she was standing in sickbay, Maddox politely said goodbye to her and left, and she looked around at the organized chaos of Starfleet doctors and nurses working on patients coming up in a relentless stream of misery from Epsilon Four.

She suddenly felt stranded. Alone. In a completely alien place, with alien people, in an alien time. All whom she'd ever held dear was down on the planet. And she was here after surviving the madness of the twenty-first century, while life seemed to be simply going on in the twenty-fourth - but then why did she feel to be stuck three centuries before...

"Hey, Jones!" she heard and glanced to one of the biobeds to see Doctor Powell working on a severely injured patient "If you're feeling so fine, don't just stand around! Make yourself useful!"

She hesitated for a short moment, then hid Data's precious chip in the pocket of her satin trousers, pulled on gloves and stood next to Powell to assist him.

* * *

Three hours passed by the time Beverly decided to take a break and beam back to the Enterprise. But when she entered sickbay, she gaped furiously at what she saw: instead of lying on a biobed, Emma was tending to patients! She was still wearing her civilian clothes - now pretty weathered by the events on the planet - and she was pale as a ghost!

"Emma Jones!" Beverly stepped up to her putting her fists on her hips "What the hell are you doing?"

Emma looked up at her, and she could see her gaze was hazy with exhaustion and god knew what else! "Very good evening to you too, Beverly Crusher!" she told her without missing a beat and then went on healing the wound on the arm of the Ensign sitting on the biobed in front of her.

"When Data told me you're in sickbay, I was thinking you're sleeping on a biobed, getting the medical attention you need! But of course, what was I thinking that you'd follow common sense for a change?"

Emma turned off the instrument in her hand and smiled on her patient "We're finished." The Ensign pulled her uniform sleeve back down her arm and nodding gratefully, left them alone with Beverly. Emma turned to her upset friend "Bev, we're short of doctors. I had no other choice. Besides, there weren't any biobeds for me to sleep on as you say. All were occupied by patients in far worse condition than I am in. So Mother-Hen, I'm appreciating your worry, but-" she was about to step away, when Bev grabbed her arm.

"THIS biobed will do just fine!" she declared and made Emma sit up on it with a bemused expression. "Lie down!" she commanded and after some rolling of her eyes, her friend obeyed. Bev scanned her with a tricorder "Your hematocrite and hemoglobin are so low that I've barely seen anyone standing on their feet with these levels! Let alone perform medical activities."

"I only tended to bruises, don't worry, I'm not crazy..." Emma told her on a low voice turning her head to the side tiredly.

Bev prepared a hypospray for her and then leaning down to her, swept her hair back lovingly to make her look up at her. This time, Emma's weary gaze met Beverly's caring one "Despite what you're trying to make everyone believe," Bev told her on a soft voice smiling gently "I know, you're not crazy."

"Bev..." Emma called on a breaking voice as a desperate expression appeared on her features "Please, don't knock me out!" she implored on a whisper.

Beverly stroked her hair gently "I'll just give you all the meds I can to make you feel better. Alright?" Emma nodded swallowing hard, and Bev pressed the hypospray to her neck. Taking it away, she held her hand and stroked it with her thumb "You need to sleep now." she told her on a soft voice.

Emma felt drowsiness creeping up on her, and she knew Bev told a white lie about the meds she'd given her. Her gaze travelled from her friend's face to the crowd of sickbay. Epsilonians and Starfleet officers moved about each other naturally, as if the former were never taught to be terrified by the latter. They received care and meds a little reluctantly, shyly but gratefully. And Starfleet helped like a nurturing mother, always giving, never asking anything in return. When she was not able to focus anymore, she closed her eyes. Your dream became true, Earl! People finally understood - Epsilon Four itself made them understand. You may rest now in peace! she thought and as her tears rolled down her cheeks, unconsciousness swallowed her into its enveloping warm darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: Feedback always welcome!**


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